The new heir
by rosie4299
Summary: A new Crane comes to Harmony to vie for control of Crane Industries, and exposes many secrets the townsfolk have striven to hide. Please Review!
1. Mysterious Phone Calls

Chapter 1- Mysterious Phone Calls 

"I'll be there soon. No, no one knows that I am coming yet. No one but you, anyway, and I want it to stay that way." She said with a smile. "I want to see the looks on their faces when they see me for the first time in seven years. We are going to land soon; I'll call you when I get there. See you in a few hours."

As she hung up the cream telephone, she thought about what she was about to do. Her family had never given her the time of day. Well, her parents never had. Her mother seemed to hate her from the moment she was born, along with most of her siblings. Her father had never had any time for any of his children. All except her brother. He had always been the favorite, he was doted upon by both her parents, while she and her other brother and sisters were shipped off to boarding schools around the world. All her life she was looked over, cast aside. That was never going to happen again. She was going back home. But this time, things were going to be different. She was going to make them all pay.


	2. On the plane

Author's Note- Obvious, but it must be stated. I do not own Passions, or Palm Pilots, if I did, I would not be spending my time writing this, I would be spending all of my money. (I forgot to mention this in the first chapter.)  
  
Chapter 2- On the plane  
  
"Excuse me, miss?" She looked up from her Palm Pilot at the flight attendant standing before her. "I have been instructed to inform you that a car is waiting to take you to your grandfather. He wants to speak to you immediately."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "I wonder what he wants. I'm not even home yet, and I am already getting instructions." Sighing, she pressed a button on the armrest of the creamy butter colored leather chair she was sitting on. The flight attendant was back into the cabin of the private jet in an instant. "When are we landing?" She asked, a look of superiority on her face.  
  
"We will be landing in a few moments miss. If you would just fasten your seatbelt, you will be home shortly." He bowed, and left silently.  
  
Hmmm. Home. She thought, reflecting on what that meant. She was going home for the first time in seven years. She had been a very passive for the last twenty three years. She never caused any trouble for her parents. All that was about to change. They wouldn't know what hit them. 


	3. The long car ride home

Chapter 3- The Long Car Ride Home  
  
She stepped off the stairs of the private jet that had just taken her from Europe to the small town of Harmony. She walked towards the limousine that was waiting for her. A chauffeur opened the door and she got inside. She was startled when she realized she was not alone in the car.  
  
Her grandfather, Alistair Crane was sitting across from her, smoking a cigar calmly. She waited for him to speak. It was not normal for him to take time out of his day to wait for anyone, and it surprised her that he was bothering to wait for her.  
  
"Marguerite Katherine Constance Crane, what are you doing here?" He asked with a stern tone. "Why are you not in school, the last time I checked, I was still paying for Oxford."  
  
"Grandfather, why do you smoke those? You know that they are bad for your health." She stated calmly, not revealing anything.  
  
"I asked you a question Kate, answer me."  
  
"Fine. I miss my brother, and I heard that father got married again, from a tabloid, no less. I came to congratulate he and his new wife on their marriage. I am surprised, though, I never thought that he would marry again." She relented, still not telling him everything, but of course he already knew that. Her Grandfather always knew everything. She was not sure how, or why, but he seemed to know what she was doing at every moment. It was a little unnerving at times.  
  
"That is not all, I know it. Why don't you just make it easy and tell me, so I don't have to waste any of my time figuring it out?" He said, narrowing his eyes. He knew his granddaughter too well to think that she would ever come home to wish someone well. She was too like him, although she looked so startlingly similar to his late wife, Katherine, with her long blonde hair and shining blue eyes.  
  
"Well," Kate started, thinking that she might as well get this over with now, rather than later. "I want a job. At Crane Industries. A good one too. I will not get someone's coffee or bring memos to Ethan, who I might remind you, has no business working in the position that he does, considering he is not a Crane."  
  
Alistair leaned back on the seat. He thought for a moment. She was probably the smartest and most devious of his grandchildren. She had proven this fact over and over again in school. She would employ any means necessary to get exactly what she wanted, no matter what the cost. He could use her in the company. He may even be able to groom her to be the next in line to head up his empire. Her father, Julian, was too soft to take over. He had hoped to give the company to Ethan, but he was no longer a Crane, so he was off the list. She was the oldest of all of his grandchildren, and the next in line.  
  
"Alright, my dear. I will give you a job." He said. "I will give you this job that you want so badly. Come in on Monday at nine o'clock sharp."  
  
She smiled. He had actually given her what she wanted, and she hadn't even had to do anything. Now for the second part of her plan. "Grandfather?" She said tentatively, "how fond of you are of Father's new wife?"  
  
"Not Very." He answered, narrowing his eyes. "Why?"  
  
"I may or may not want to have a bit of fun with her while I am at home. I just wanted to know if it would make a difference to you." She said casually with a sly smile. "I vaguely remember my new stepmother from when she was friends with mother. And after all, I am going to need some sort of entertainment while I'm here. What could be better than making my parents miserable?"  
  
Alistair smiled. She really was his granddaughter.  
  
~A few hours later~  
  
"I don't know, Theresa, that seems a bit risky." Fox told his girlfriend. She had asked him to sneak her into the Crane Mansion again. She was desperate to see her son, Little Ethan. That was what was worrying him. She was getting desperate. If she wasn't careful, she would end up in jail again. "Ethan and Gwen are about to adopt him. We have to be a lot more careful. You are about to lose all your rights to him."  
  
The look in her eyes made him hug her close. It killed him that she was hurting like this. Somehow, Rebecca was going to pay for what she was doing to her. He just wished that he had some ammunition against her. It was too bad that his twin sister was not here. She was extremely good at getting people to do whatever she wanted them to do, even when they didn't want to. He missed Meg. He missed being able to call her that. He was the only one who was allowed to. It was his special name for her. Everyone else called her Kate.  
  
"I know Fox. And that is why you have to get me in there. He needs to know that I still love him, and that I didn't abandon him. He has to know that I haven't given up fighting to get him back." She pleaded, tears threatening to spill over.  
  
Fox kissed her forehead, and sighed. "Theresa, I will help you, but not today. Tomorrow Rebecca and Gwen are going shopping, and it will be easier to get you in and out if they aren't there. I promise." Taking her hand, he lead her towards the garage, where his BMW was, so he could drive her home.  
  
As they got closer to the house, they saw a limousine pull up. Confused, they continued on their way. When Fox saw who stepped out of the limo, he gasped. It was the last person that he had ever expected to see here in Harmony. 


	4. The Reunion

I should hope that you know this, but I do not own any character in this story except Kate Crane. If they appeared on the Show Passions, which is owned by NBC, then I have no rights to them. I just love the show and am enjoying writing my first fan fiction story.  
  
Chapter 4- The Reunion  
  
"Meg?" Fox called across the sweeping lawn. Dropping Theresa's hand, he ran over to his twin sister.  
  
"Nicky!" Kate exclaimed. It felt good to use their old nicknames. It had been so long since she had last seen him. She leapt into his arms, and he spun her around. Kate hugged him so tight; it was so wonderful to have her arms around him. He was her best friend, and the only person she knew she could always count on, no matter what.  
  
"What are you doing here?" He asked, setting her back onto the ground. "I thought that you were still in England, going to Oxford."  
  
She smiled at him. "I'm taking a bit of a break. I start working at Crane Industries tomorrow. But enough of that, tell me what you have been up to, starting with who that pretty girl giving me those evil looks is." She laughed, pointing at Theresa.  
  
"Theresa!" Fox called to his girlfriend. "Come here! I have someone I want you to meet!"  
  
As Theresa made her way across the grass, Kate asked, "Not Theresa, the daughter of Mom's maid, the one who followed Ethan around like a puppy dog?" She raised her eyebrows.  
  
"The very same." Fox replied. "But please Meg, don't you dare bring that up. She is a little sensitive when it comes to Ethan right now. I'll fill you in later about that, but there isn't enough time right now."  
  
"Alright, but I expect a full explanation. I think that Audrey might want one too." She said, giving him a look.  
  
"Shhh. Not a word about that to Theresa, okay? I really like her, and I don't want to hurt her, unlike the rest of our family. Fox stated. Kate nodded.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Theresa could not believe it. It was bad enough that he would not help her see her son, but to actually leave her for another woman, and right in front of her, for that matter. Ugh, she thought, making a face. She was very pretty, with her long, blonde hair, obviously a dye job, and her blue eyes, which were probably contacts. She probably had had lots of plastic surgery to look that good. Her eyes narrowed as the woman pointed at her and Fox called over to her. As she made her way over to them, she thought of all the things she was going to say to both of them. She was not going to let anyone get away with hurting her like that, especially not a man.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"I am so happy that the two women in my life are meeting at last." Fox said as Theresa put her arms around Fox' waist possessively. "Theresa, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the woman who makes me look like an amateur schemer, my sister, Kate. Kate, I would like to introduce you to someone who is very special to me, my girlfriend, Theresa."  
  
Kate politely shook Theresa's hand. She had not seen this woman in over 10 years. A lot has changed in this tiny town. Her brother was actually in love with someone. Her other brother was married and no longer a Crane. He had been replaced by a little boy with the same name. Her parents were divorced, and her father had remarried someone who, according to Fox, was a total Nympho. She just hoped she never ran into them in the act, the way her poor brother had several times.  
  
"So, Theresa," Kate started, not really knowing what to say, "do you live in the mansion? From what grandfather was telling me, it is turning into a sort of hotel, but no one ever checks out."  
  
Fox looked confused. "When did you talk to grandfather?"  
  
"Who do you think picked me up at the airport? That was his limo." She said. "We rode here and discussed my coming to work at Crane Industries, and my plans for mother and father. I plan on shaking some things up here, especially for that new stepmother of ours. She has had it way too easy; she has not had to deal with me yet. I expect your full support. I'll give you your assignments in my new project as I think of them."  
  
Theresa smiled. "So, you hate your parents and Rebecca too?"  
  
"I wasn't even invited to the weddings." Kate stated stiffly. "Any of them."  
  
"Well," Fox started, "Theresa might be a great resource and ally in this new little game of yours. She hates Julian, Ivy and Rebecca even more than either of us. They have done everything in their power to make her life a living hell. Including the latest horror, stealing her son away from her and letting Ethan and Gwen adopt him."  
  
Kate immediately felt for the woman. She had never had a child, but she could not imagine what it would be like to be apart from one. It was a grief and a pain that was beyond her.  
  
She smiled sympathetically. "I think that this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Theresa." Linking arms with her, she led her into the house. "Would you like to stay for dinner? They don't know yet, but it is my welcome back dinner. And it will be very interesting, especially the seating arraignments." Kate smiled, but this was not friendly smile. This was a smile that meant war. 


	5. An interesting dinner

If anyone thinks for one second that I own any of the characters on this page, then you are more gullible than I thought. NBC and its affiliates own Passions. Duh!  
  
Chapter 5- An interesting Dinner  
  
"Ellie, dear, I hope that you weren't thinking of using that good china for dinner tonight." Rebecca simpered. "That is only for special occasions. And the last time I checked, a Thursday was not a special occasion."  
  
"I am sorry madam," Ellie said, nearly in a whisper. "But I have strict instructions from the lady of the house that this was the china that I was supposed to use tonight."  
  
"Well, I am the lady of this house, Ellie." Rebecca snapped, her eyes blazing. "And don't you ever forget that, do you understand me?"  
  
"Yes, madam."  
  
"Now put out the everyday china, please. I don't want to tell you again." And with that, Rebecca swept out of the room, and up the grand staircase.  
  
As she disappeared out of sight, Theresa and Kate stepped out of the pantry. "Ellie, I want you to put out the china that I chose before, okay?" The woman hesitated, not knowing what to do. "Look, I promise that no action will be taken against you. You have my word." She put her hand on the woman's arm. "Don't say a word. No one can know I am here. Not yet."  
  
"Yes, miss, of course."  
  
Theresa smiled. This girl was exactly what she needed on her side, A Crane who had nothing to lose, and wanted to bring down the same people as she did. She just had to make sure to never get on Kate's bad side. She was only here for an hour, and she was already inciting the help against Rebecca, and about to make her doubt her sanity.  
  
"Now that that is taken care of, why don't we go dress for dinner?" Kate said, as she led Theresa up the back stairs to her room. "I have a little red number that will look incredible on you."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Rebecca walked back into the dining room, and was astonished by the sight. "Ellie!" She screeched to the maid. Ellie appeared in an instant.  
  
"Yes madam?" Ellie asked, averting her eyes.  
  
"Did I or did I not tell you to put out the everyday china? The set that we have been using since I became Mrs. Crane?" Rebecca said condescendingly. "Can you or can you not follow a simple instruction? If you can't, I will just have to replace you."  
  
Ellie looked on in horror. "Yes, madam. She said, and backed away.  
  
"It is just impossible to find competent help these days." Rebecca whined to herself. She was feeling very frustrated. She thought that being Mrs. Julian Crane would get her more respect in the stupid little town. Just today, she was out shopping, and no one would help her. It took her forever to get her food at lunch, and even at home, she had to endure the same disrespect. Julian's son Fox treated her with so much disdain, and was always bringing in that slut of a girlfriend to visit her son, despite the court order and the restraining order that barred her from the premises. Julian would not lift a finger to help her with this matter. "I did not go through blackmailing my pookie into marrying me so that I could be treated in this manner wherever I go."  
  
~*~*~  
  
The bells in the old clock in the sitting room chimed at seven. Julian came out of his study, Gwen and Ethan came out of their room with Little Ethan, and Fox walked out of the library, Theresa in tow. Gwen's eyes widened when Theresa took a seat next to Ethan. It was most unaccustomary for the family to use place cards. Theresa did not say a word, Little Ethan leapt from his seat to hug his mother. Gwen seethed.  
  
"Fox, what is Theresa doing here? I thought that you were forbidden to bring her here." Gwen said through clenched teeth. She was trying her hardest to keep her control.  
  
"I didn't invite her here. I promise." Fox stated with a smile. "That pleasure goes to another."  
  
Julian sat down at the head of the table. "Is it my imagination, or is there an extra place setting?" He slurred. It was obvious that he had been drinking.  
  
"It must be a mistake." Ethan said uncomfortably. There was so much tension in the room it could have been cut and served for dinner. "I'll have Ellie take a place setting away."  
  
At that moment, Rebecca walked into the Dining room. "Hello, Hello! Sorry I am late, but- , she gasped when she saw Theresa. "What are you doing here? I thought that I made it clear that Fox was never to invite you to this house again."  
  
"Fox did not invite me to dinner, Rebecca, someone else did." Theresa spat, unable to contain her contempt for the woman.  
  
"Well, who? Who invited you here? I highly doubt that anyone at this table would ever dare to invite you into my home. Rebecca sneered. "So who did it, Theresa, who invited you here?"  
  
"That would be me." Everyone turned to see who was now standing behind Rebecca in the doorway, and a collective look of astonishment was on everyone's faces. 


	6. Job Offers and Shocking Secrets Revealed

Yet again, I own nothing in this story. If I did, I would not have to work to get college money, I would never have to work again. Passions and the characters are owned by NBC and its affiliates.  
  
Chapter 6-Job Offers and Slipping Secrets  
  
Rebecca looked at Kate, who was still standing in the doorway. "Shall we sit down to dinner?" Kate said calmly, gliding past Rebecca who was still looking at her in astonishment. She was not the only one.  
  
"Marguerite Katherine Constance Crane, what are you doing here?" Her father asked, looking at her like he had seen a ghost. She looked so much like his mother Katherine; he would have sworn that it was her, if he didn't know better.  
  
"Well father, I decided that since it has been so long since I have been home, that I would come and surprise you all. I came to congratulate you on your new marriage, but I still have one question. Isn't it customary for the trophy wife to by younger than the previous wife, not so significantly older?"  
  
Fox couldn't help it. He and Theresa both burst out laughing. Even Ethan was trying desperately to contain himself. Gwen just looked at her and said nothing.  
  
Rebecca walked over to the table, and tried to sit down in her seat across from Julian, where the lady of the manor should have sat, but was surprised to find a body already occupying it. Kate had calmly taken this place, so she sat down next to her daughter, who was still shooting daggers at Theresa.  
  
"I hope that I haven't cause too many problems, but when I spoke to Grandfather, he told me to do whatever I needed to make myself completely comfortable. He wants me happy and well rested when I begin work at Crane Industries on Monday. So I decided that I would have my favorite china put out for my first dinner at home in seven years." Kate explained with a smile. This was going better than she imagined it. She had managed to alienate all of the people at the table in a matter of minutes. This was going to be easier than she thought.  
  
"Kate," Gwen said, everyone could hear the strain in her voice. "Would you please tell me what Theresa is doing here?"  
  
Kate looked at her, and said very calmly, "Theresa is my brother's girlfriend, she is the mother of my half brother, and she is hopefully going to become a good friend of mine. With any luck, she will accept the job offer that Grandfather and I are extending her. She was extremely good for the company when she worked there the last time, and hopefully we can convince her to come back."  
  
Theresa looked astonished. "Are you serious? I would love to!" Fox beamed at his twin. She really was good.  
  
The rest of the group did not think that this was such a good thing. "Kate," her father began, "I don't know of any jobs that were available to someone with Theresa's skill set. Perhaps we should have discussed this first."  
  
"Daddy, I don't mean to be rude, but didn't you hear what I said?" She asked, as she calmly took a sip of the bisque that was placed in front of her. "I said Grandfather and I are extending this job offer. He was the one who gave me the green light. He thought that it would be a wonderful idea. So, I really do not think that there is anything to discuss with you, or anyone else." She took another spoonful to her lips. "My, this is delicious. That new chef really can do wonders."  
  
The rest of the meal was very strained. Kate, Fox and Theresa pretended not to notice. They kept a lively conversation, and as the dessert of crème fresh and fresh fruit tartlets were served, Kate took the opportunity to tell Theresa that she was going to have to get used to working here, since they were going to be working side by side, and would be here quite a lot. She told her that she was welcome to visit whenever she wanted.  
  
At this Rebecca was enraged. She had worked way too hard for way to long to lose the little control she had to this girl. She dropped her fork onto her plate with a clatter. "Who do you think you are? I am the lady of this house, and I will not be treated in such a manner! This is absurd! It is an outrage!"  
  
Kate feigned horror. "Rebecca, I meant no disrespect! I just thought that since this is my home too, that my friends would be welcome in this house too. I thought that as the lady of my father's home that you would do whatever you could to make me feel at ease and at home. Is that not your job, or was I mistaken in my understanding that you are unemployed?"  
  
At this statement, Rebecca pushed her chair back and stormed out of the room. Gwen soon followed her. "Well," Kate stated, acting insulted. "That was very rude of them. You would think that they would both have the manners to excuse themselves before leaving, wouldn't you agree?"  
  
Dinner ended not long after that. Kate bid farewell to Theresa, who was waiting near the door for Fox to take her home, and glided up the stairs. When she reached the foyer, she remembered that she had forgotten her recorder in the library. She sat down in one of the tall leather armchairs near the fireplace and clicked the on button on the tiny machine. She was about to start speaking, when she heard someone enter the room. It was Rebecca, followed closely by Gwen. Kate stayed silent. Pulling her feet up onto the chair so no part of her body was visible she waited for someone to speak.  
  
"Oooh that woman makes me so livid. To think of the way she insulted me? In my own house, no less. I can't believe this." Rebecca said, the fury audible in her voice. "After all we did to rid your life of Theresa, that woman just undid half of it. I wouldn't have bothered sending that email that outed Ethan as Sam's son, or framed her for the murder of Julian if I knew that Kate Crane was going to undo all of my handiwork."  
  
"I know mother. Why did we bother sending that email to the tabloid and framing her for it? She always seems to have some sort of savior. First it was Ethan, then it was Fox. Now it seems that Kate has taken on that role as well."  
  
Their voices faded as they left the room and went down the hall. Kate could not believe her luck. It was like kismet, she had been in here to hear their confessions, and-  
  
And tape them. Kate looked at the tiny recording device in her hand. She smiled. Her first big break had just come through. 


	7. Chess

I really hate to be so repetitive, but it has to be said, or else. I do not own Passions or any of the characters. NBC has that honor and privilege.  
  
An authors note- (My first real one!) Fox and Kate have special nicknames for each other. Everyone calls them by their middle names, but they call each other by their first names, Meg and Nicky. I just wanted to make that clear. Thank you and keep reading!  
  
Chapter 7- Chess  
  
Fox and Theresa were kissing passionately on the front steps of her house. She could not believe how attracted to him she was. She had never thought she would ever care about anyone but Ethan in this way. She was so glad that she and Fox were together. She doubted that she would have been able to get through the events of the past few weeks without him.  
  
When the couple broke apart, Fox held her close. "Fox?" Theresa asked.  
  
"What?" Fox murmured into her hair.  
  
"Do you really think that your sister is going to be able to help me?"  
  
Fox looked her in the eye. "Theresa, Kate is going to get you everything that you have been wishing for. Trust me, she would never betray you. She knows how much I care about you, and would never hurt me like that. Besides, She isn't like that, she doesn't just hurt people who don't deserve it. She only goes after the people who hurt her or her friends. She is extremely loyal, especially to me. So don't worry."  
  
Theresa smiled and kissed him once more. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Fox smiled as he watched her disappear behind the door. Spinning his heel, he walked back down to his car, and drove home.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kate was pacing up and down the length of her bedroom. She was waiting for her twin to show up. She hated to wait, for anyone. Kate could barely contain herself. She had this incredible break, and she couldn't believe it. How did she ever get so lucky. She got Gwen and Rebecca to admit wrongdoing, and on tape no less. She had just spent the last hour copying that little message onto her computer, and had burned it onto dozens of cds.  
  
Finally, her door opened and Fox stuck his head through. "You decent?" He called with a hand over his eyes.  
  
Kate rolled her eyes. Pulling him into the room, she led him over to her computer. "I need to know everything that you do on all of the people in this house, and then I will tell you about something that I just got on Gwen and Rebecca."  
  
Fox raised his eyebrows. He knew that she was good, but she had only been here for a few hours. "Where should I start?" He asked.  
  
"I don't care, how about the beginning. Tell me why Gwen and Rebecca hate Theresa so much." She said impatiently.  
  
"That is a pretty tall order. Well, you know that Theresa was the reason that Gwen and Ethan didn't get married the first time, right? Rebecca and Gwen started torturing her then. The scandal of dear Ethan's paternity came out on Theresa's wedding day. Mother crashed her car through the doors of the church to stop the wedding. Apparently the tabloid named her the person who 'outed' Ethan, so to speak. So the wedding was cancelled, and Theresa followed Julian down to Bermuda, and he got her drunk and pregnant. After this, Ethan gave up on Theresa, and started dating Gwen again. He never fully got over Theresa though, because about a year ago, he almost proposed to her, and then he found out Gwen was pregnant, and so they got married instead. Everything was quiet, until Theresa went out to LA to visit me, and two of her other close friends, and Gwen and Ethan had gone out there to get away from Harmony and all of the stress that had plagued her throughout her difficult pregnancy." Fox took a breath, and continued. "Then one night, she was in the hospital and she saw a show that was filming Ethan and Theresa kissing on the beach. She confronted Theresa at the apartment, and they fought, and Gwen fell, and lost her daughter Sarah. She and Rebecca blame Theresa for that, and everything else that has ever gone wrong in Gwen's life. Now they have had the court and family services strip Theresa of all of her parental rights of Little Ethan Crane. Gwen and Ethan are going to adopt him very soon."  
  
Kate sat back, pretty surprised. She had missed a lot when she was in Europe. "Okay," Fox began. "Now what have you dug up on our lovely stepmommy?"  
  
Kate smiled. "Nicky, you would not believe it. It was like I was meant to be here." She slipped the disk into her computer and hit play.  
  
Fox listened in shock. He could not believe it. This was a stroke of luck, and he could not believe what he had just heard. "Meg, is this for real? How in the world did you get this?"  
  
"Well, you know how I always tape my thoughts on my schemes, right?" Fox nodded, and she continued. "I was sitting in the library, about to speak, when they came in, and spilled everything! I could not believe it."  
  
"We have to tell Theresa right away!" Fox exclaimed, leaping from the chair he was sitting on. "Come on, we can go right now!"  
  
"No Nicky." Kate said, grabbing his arm. "We can't tell her anything yet. She would probably do something stupid and play right into Rebecca's hand. When the time is right, we will tell her, but not yet. I need more time to gather more evidence on all of this."  
  
At the look on Fox' face, she added. "Don't worry. It's like chess. We have to be strategic in all our moves. We wait, until the time is right, and then-"  
  
"Checkmate" Fox finished for her. 


	8. No one Ever Cries Over Spilled Cappuccin...

Once more, with feeling! I do not own Passions, or any of the Character that appear on the show. If you didn't know this by now, then this is either the first fan fiction that you are reading, or you are a little slow on the uptake!  
  
Chapter 8- No one ever cries over spilled cappuccino  
  
~Saturday Morning~  
  
Kate decided that since she had spent the first two days of her homecoming at home that this Saturday she was going to spend the day in town, getting reacquainted with the sleepy town of Harmony. She was walking up and down the streets, holding her cup of cappuccino, not really paying much attention to where she was going, when she ran right into something tall and hard. Kate started to lose her balance, when a pair of strong hands grabbed her until she steadied herself.  
  
When Kate looked up, she caught up her breath. Her savior extremely attractive, with wavy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He was tall and muscular; she could tell by the way he held her.  
  
Finally he spoke. "Are you alright?" He asked.  
  
She couldn't find her voice, so she nodded instead. She looked at him, and noticed where her missing cappuccino went. "Oh, no!" she exclaimed, realizing that she had spilled it all over the front of his white shirt. "I am so sorry; I didn't mean to ruin your shirt." Kate apologized, pulling a white lace handkerchief out of her purse; she dabbed at the front of him, only in part to clean up her mess.  
  
The man laughed. "Its okay, this wasn't my favorite shirt anyway."  
  
Kate looked around, spotting a man's clothing store just down the street, and she took his hand and pulled him along behind her. "You have to let me replace it; it was my fault, after all." She opened the door, and stepped inside. He didn't follow. "What are you doing? Come in here." She said.  
  
"You don't have to do that, it was just as much my fault as it was yours." He protested, still not entering the store.  
  
"Oh come on, I feel so guilty. It really is the least I can do." Kate said coyly. "Think about it, would you like to be the reason that I feel bad for the rest of my life, would you?"  
  
The man smiled, amused by her statement. "Alright," he relented. "But on one condition."  
  
"What is that?" Kate asked.  
  
"You have to join me for lunch today." He said smiling.  
  
Kate pretended to think about it. "Well, when you put it that way, how can a girl resist?" She took his hand again. "Now come on!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
A short time later, Kate was walking next to the man, who was now wearing a clean, crisp white linen button down shirt. "So," the man started, "I have been with you for the last two hours, shopping for new shirts, eating a nice lunch and I still don't know your name."  
  
Kate hesitated, not sure what to say. "Kate," she said finally. "My name is Kate," leaving out her last name. She knew her family was not exactly well liked around here, not that she could blame most of the people of Harmony. Her family had been pretty terrible.  
  
"It's nice to meet you Kate, no last name," the man said with one of those nice, toothy smiles he had. "I'm Hank, Hank Bennett." He held out his hand. She shook it.  
  
"It is nice to meet you too, Hank Bennett." Kate said, taking her hand back. "So, Hank, what is there to do in this town, besides spilling beverages on unsuspecting townsfolk?"  
  
Hank laughed. "Why don't I show you? I'll pick you up tonight, say around seven?"  
  
She smiled and said, "How about I meet you here, at this very spot instead?"  
  
"Okay," Hank replied, "It's a date. I'll see you tonight, right here, at seven." Kate nodded.  
  
"Great. See you then!" She walked away, and disappeared around a corner.  
  
"Hank!" Someone called. Hank turned and saw his brother crossing the street. "Hey man, who was that you were just with?"  
  
Hank shrugged. "I don't know yet, but hopefully, I'll find out tonight." 


	9. Frustration and Nervous Jitters

This is really getting repetitive, and it takes up so much space on my page. I do not own any of the characters of Passions, nor do I own Passions, NBC does. If you don't know that, then you obviously don't know which network is which! I also do not own the song Bittersweet Symphony! But I have that on my cell and I love that song!  
  
Chapter 9- Frustration and Nervous Jitters  
  
Kate was wrapped in her own thoughts as she pushed open the front door of the mansion. She was halfway up the stairs when she heard her name being called from the sitting room. Rolling her eyes, she trudged down the stairs, through the foyer, down the hall and into the sitting room, where her stepmother and stepsister were calmly sitting.  
  
"Yes?" She asked expectantly. "What do you want?"  
  
Rebecca patted the seat on the sofa next to her. Kate sat in an armchair across from her. Slightly unnerved by this, Rebecca began to speak. "I just thought that we could have a little chat, just the three of us. I want us to feel like one big happy family. And families stick together, and make sure that everyone is happy. You want that too, don't you?"  
  
Kate looked from Rebecca to Gwen and back again. "If what you are simpering about now has anything to do with my rescinding my job offer to Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, you can just forget it. She is a friend, and my brother's girlfriend, and I am going to keep my promise to her, because, after all, it really isn't very polite to do something like that to someone so nice. I'm sure that you wouldn't want someone to do something like that to you, would you Rebecca?"  
  
She stood up. "Now, I don't mean to be rude, but I have a date to get ready for. Enjoy your evening! Ta Ta!" With that, Kate swept out of the room.  
  
Gwen flopped back on the couch. "Oooh! That woman infuriates me! How can she just come in here and topple everything that we have spent the last five years doing in less than two days?!!? I hate her, and we can't even touch her."  
  
"I know!" Rebecca said, as she stood up from the couch and started walking around the room. "I tried to get Julian to make her go back to Europe, where she came from, but he said that she was his daughter, and he would not even dare to ask her to leave, since she has Alistair wrapped around her little finger. She is a sort of favorite of his, apparently."  
  
"Well, we are just going to have to think of something, because I can't keep living under the same roof with that woman. Gwen fumed to her mother. "Are you sure that there is nothing that anyone can do?"  
  
"Unfortunately, Gwennie, there is nothing that we can do at the moment. We are just going to have to keep being nice to her, and hope she gets bored with this place." Rebecca consoled her daughter, frustrated at the young woman, and desperate to do something to stop her.  
  
Kate was trying to decide between a dark navy halter dress and a pair of jeans and a white silk off the shoulder top when her cell phone started to play 'Bittersweet Symphony' she grabbed it and was excited to see that it was Audrey Garrison-Grey, one of her closest friends and confidantes. "Aud, I need help!" She exclaimed. "I have a date in an hour and I have no idea what to wear!"  
  
"Calm down, Kate, I'm here. Turn on your web cam, so I can see what I have to work with." Audrey's smooth southern drawl came through loud and clear over the phone. Kate flipped the switch and turned on her laptop. Audrey's auburn curls and green eyes flipped on the screen.  
  
"Okay, so, what are you going to be doing on this date?" Audrey asked.  
  
"Umm, I have no idea." Kate said sheepishly.  
  
"Okay, so what is this guy like?" Audrey asked, going in another direction.  
  
"Umm, I only met him today, so I don't really know yet." Kate said, knowing that Audrey was going to yell at her.  
  
She was not disappointed. "Kate!" Audrey yelled through the phone. "You are going out with a guy that you have never met to somewhere you have never been!?!? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!?!"  
  
"Aud, if you saw this guy, you would understand. Tall, blonde, built, completely hot. You would do the exact same thing if you were in my position. Trust me. I know what I am doing." Kate said soothingly, trying to calm her down. It was the red hair. Audrey always was a spitfire, and got mad easily whenever she or Fox did anything stupid.  
  
Audrey sighed. "Well, if you get raped and murdered, don't haunt me, okay? I told you what would happen, and if it does, then don't come around all pale and crying."  
  
Kate laughed. "I promise. No haunting, I get it. Now what do you think?" She held up the navy halter dress, and the white silk top.  
  
"Neither. What about that dark pink silk top that you bought on our trip to Milan two weeks ago? Put that with the super dark Seven jeans and the sapphire drop earrings that we got in Paris?" Audrey suggested.  
  
Kate beamed. "You are a genius, Aud! That is perfect. I'll go and change and be back in a flash." She flew into her closet and pulled out the top and jeans. Slipping them on, she was convinced that this was the outfit. She ran through the door with a pair of Manolo sling backs in her hand. "Okay, so what's up Audrey?" She asked, as she put the earrings on.  
  
"Well, I just thought that I would tell you that Dylan and I were chatting, and we that since two of our closest friends are in Harmony now, that we should see what all the fuss is about. If you will have us, we were planning on visiting sometime next month, when my vacation in the Greek Isles is done, and he gets finished with his trip to Indonesia. What do you think?" Audrey asked.  
  
"Are you kidding? We would love for you to come! And you will be right on schedule! I'm planning my latest scheme, the downfall of my parents, and my new stepmother. You guys can help me, it will be just like when I got Professor Minuit fired after he tried to blackmail Collette into sleeping with him, or he would fail her!"  
  
"Wow, I hope that they are scared, because they are in for it!" Audrey exclaimed. "Now, something important. How serious is Fox about this girl?"  
  
Kate was surprised. "How did you know there was a girl?" She asked, trying not to hurt her friend.  
  
"Well, he still hasn't come and surprised me Paris, and I know that the only reason for that is that there was something keeping him away. I just had a feeling. I know that Fox isn't mine right now, but we have been dating on and off for the past five years. The only person who knows him better is you." She said sadly. "But on to happier things. I hope that you have a wonderful time on your date. I have to go. I am having dinner with a prince of somewhere tonight. Don't forget the pepper spray."  
  
"Okay hon." Love you, and talk to you soon!"  
  
"Love to you and that hopeless brother of yours! Ciao!" 


	10. The best date ever

Okay, just so we are clear, I do not own Passions or any of the characters, they are owned by NBC.  
  
Authors Note- I just wanted to say that I have wanted Hank to have a better story line for like forever, and if this is a way to give the character more of a role, then so be it!  
  
Please Read and Review my story! I hope that everyone likes it!  
  
Chapter 10- The best date ever  
  
Kate hurried down the stairs, late, as usual. She had been looking for Fox for the last twenty minutes, to tell him that their friends were coming to visit. She hadn't seen Dylan in over six months, he had been touring the South Seas, and she wasn't used to not being in the same time zone as Audrey, they had been joined at the hip since they had adjoining rooms at Saint Andrew's Prep School ten years ago in Ireland. She was her best girl friend. They were shopping buddies, and partners in crime, along with Fox and Dylan Banning, who had lived across the hall from Fox at Saint Andrew's.  
  
She flew out the door and down the drive to the garage. She met Fox halfway there. "Fox, call Audrey, she and Dylan are coming to visit next month! I would fill you in but I have a date, and I am already late for it! Bye!" She called over her shoulder before she got into her car and sped down the drive and down the road to town.  
  
"I cannot believe that I am late!" Kate scolded herself. "I was doing so well on time too. I hope that he doesn't think that I stood him up! She turned onto Main Street and found a parking space. Putting some change in the meter, Kate scurried across the street, and looked around. Not seeing him anywhere, she stamped her foot in frustration.  
  
She flopped onto a nearby bench and silently berated herself for her tardiness. She closed her eyes, trying to calm down, when someone whispered in her ear, "You're late."  
  
She whirled around to find Hank leaning on the back of the bench. "I thought I missed you!" Kate exclaimed, so happy that he hadn't given up on her.  
  
"I figured you were like every other girl in the world, and would be running a bit late, so I went to go and get you this." He pulled a white rose out from behind his back. Kate was touched by the gesture.  
  
"Thank you." She said, accepting the rose. "I am so glad that you didn't leave, I was on the phone with a friend who is out of the country, and just got caught up with the phone call." She explained, omitting that she had been running around looking for a guy for nearly half an hour.  
  
Hank nodded. "So, I thought that we could go to see a movie, then get a bite to eat, and maybe end the evening with a walk on the beach. Does that sound okay to you? He asked.  
  
She nodded. She was definitely glad that she had taken Audrey's advice and worn what she did. Both the dress and the other pants and top would have been all wrong for a date with this guy. He seems very relaxed, very comfortable in a life that he had created here in this little town.  
  
She took the arm that he offered her and they walked down the street towards the movie theatre. They looked at the movie selection, and decided to go and see the Alfred Hitchcock movie that was playing. Kate loved old movies, all old movies. They were so much better than most of the movies that Hollywood was turning out now. And besides, she could always use the scary movie as a means to get close to him.  
  
"Why don't you go and get some popcorn, and I will go and find us good seats." Kate suggested to him, seeing the long line at the concession stand. "Could you get me a regular Pepsi, please?" She gave him a smile and walked through the doors into the theatre.  
  
Hank was impressed. Usually the girls he went out with were so worried about weight that they always got water, or diet soda, but this girl was different. She was like no one else he had ever dated. She was special He could feel it.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kate was searching around the theater for the best seats, but there wasn't much to choose from. She finally found two together in the middle of the theater. She watched the door so she could signal Hank when he came in. Several minutes later, she saw him come in, and she waved to get his attention. He maneuvered around all the groups and couples who were in the theater with them.  
  
"Whew!" Hank said as he finally sat down in the seat next to her. "I thought that I would never get off that line. There were so many people, but then again it is a Saturday night, so everyone is out." He smiled at her. She smiled back.  
  
The theater lights flickered, and the people who were standing in the aisles were moving to their seats. The lights faded and the screen came alive as the movie started.  
  
As the opening credits came on, Hank and Kate both reached for the popcorn at the same time, and their hands grazed the others. It was like electric, the attraction that they had. Kate felt her skin come alive when his hand touched hers, even if it was only for a moment.  
  
Hank couldn't believe how attracted to this girl he was. Her touch was electrifying. He wanted to get closer to her, he just had to bide his time until the right moment.  
  
Kate knew she had to get closer to him. She had seen this movie while in Prague at a film festival, so she knew what she was waiting for. Grace Kelly was walking down the dark hallway, and then-  
  
The audience screamed. Kate buried her face into Hank's chest, feigning fear. He put his arm around her, and she thought- mission accomplished.  
  
Mission accomplished, Hank smiled. This was going exactly the way he hoped.  
  
~*~*~  
Hank and Kate came out of the theater, laughing. The girls in front of them had gotten so scared during the last few minutes of the film, that one of them had thrown her popcorn in the air, showering them with the kernels. It was so funny, that they had to leave the theater because of all the dirty looks they were getting from the other patrons.  
  
"Wait, hold still, you still have popcorn in your hair." Hank said, pulling a few fluffy pieces out of her hair. He stared into her eyes, and put his hand on her cheek. She smiled up at him, and they leaned in, and their lips met.  
  
It was the most incredible kiss that Kate had ever experienced. She had never had any man kiss her with so much passion, so much emotion, she could barely breathe. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and hoped that this kiss would never end.  
  
The kiss deepened, and Kate ran her fingers through his hair, and pulled out another kernel of popcorn. She tried to hold it in, but it was impossible, she burst out laughing again. Hank pulled away, a little confused. This was not a normal reaction when he kissed a woman. When she held out her hand, he saw the kernel she had removed from his hair and he laughed too.  
  
"Dinner? He asked, taking her hand. She nodded, and he led her down the street towards the little café.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"So, you're really a cop?" Kate asked. "Have you ever shot someone?" She took another bite of her pasta, which was just as good as anything that she had had in Italy. It had genuinely surprised her about how good the food here was.  
  
"Yeah, I did," Hank admitted. "I shot someone to save a friend of mine, who was about to be killed. I knew that I couldn't let that happen. At the time, I thought that I loved her, but she was in love with my best friend, so I stepped aside. That was a long time ago, though."  
  
Kate nodded. "So what do you do?" Hank asked her. She hesitated, and slowly chewed, and decided to just tell him the truth.  
  
"I work at Crane Industries." She said. "I start on Monday. So, have you lived in Harmony all of your life?"  
  
"Well, I grew up here, and then after high school, I moved around a lot. I moved back here to be closer to my family about six years ago. My brother is the Chief of Police here, and my nieces are here, as well as my best friend and his family. What about you; where are you from?"  
  
Kate took another bite, not quite sure how to answer this one either. She decided again to go with the truth, just omitting certain facts. "I was born here, but when I was old enough I was sent away to go to boarding school in Ireland with my brother. My parents were always too busy for us, and just sent us away so they didn't have to deal with us. I just returned from England a few days ago. I was going to Oxford until last week, when I decided to come home and shake things up."  
  
"Wow." Hank said, leaning back in his chair. "That's one dysfunctional childhood. You make mine look normal."  
  
Kate smiled. "It's okay. I always had my twin brother Nicky to look out for me. He really is my best friend. He is the only person in the world that I know I can count on no matter what. And I have a really good group of friends from school. Audrey and Dylan were always there with Nicky and I when we were causing mischief at Saint Andrew's."  
  
He smiled. "I know what it's like to have friends that are like your family. My best friend Luis was always there for me, no matter what kind of stupid stuff I did. And there was a lot of stupid stuff along the way. He's a cop too, and I would gladly take a bullet for that guy."  
  
"Why don't we get the check, and then take that walk on the beach like you promised me." Kate suggested, and Hank motioned to the waiter to bring it to him. They paid it and left.  
  
~*~*~  
  
After a short drive to the beach, Hank and Kate were walking along, hands entwined, looking at the beautiful, bright moon. Kate helped Hank set the blanket down on the sand near the surf. She loved the smell of the ocean, so salty and fresh. They sat down on the tartan plaid blanket, and just sat for a few minutes, enjoying the crashing waves and each other's company.  
  
After a few moments, Hank noticed something that he had to comment on. "I didn't think that it was possible, but you look even more beautiful in the moonlight than you do in the day."  
  
Kate smiled. "That might be the nicest compliment that anyone has ever paid me." She leaned over and brushed her lips lightly against his. He smiled, and she kissed him again, this time the kiss deepened. He pushed her back, and moved on top of her. He kissed her again, and caressed her face with her back of his hand. She dug her nails into his back lightly. After a while they broke apart, and Kate snuggled into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, and they lay there, content, listening to the sound of the waves breaking on the shoreline.  
  
~*~*~  
  
A few hours later, they returned to town, and he walked her over to her car. He kissed her again. "Mmm." She purred into his ear, as she hugged him. "Thank you for the best date I have ever been on."  
  
Hank smiled, and said, "Likewise. I'll call you tomorrow." He kissed her again, an opened the door to her Lexus. She got inside, and he closed the door. He waved, and then crossed the street.  
  
Kate sighed as she started her car and drove down the street, and turned on to the long windy road that led back up the hill to the mansion. She couldn't believe the date she had just had. It was definitely the best one she had ever had. She was so attracted to him, and she couldn't remember any other man who made her feel as alive as Hank Bennett did. She couldn't wait for him to call her tomorrow.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hank Bennett felt like he was walking on clouds on his walk back to his apartment. That woman had him spinning. He was really surprised at how complete she made him feel. When he was holding her on the beach, he felt like he was home. He couldn't wait for morning, when he could call her and hear her voice, hear her laugh.  
  
He was so distracted, that he didn't even notice that he had walked past his best friend Luis, until he heard him call his name. Hank turned around.  
  
"Hey man, what's up with you?" Luis asked him. "You look like you are in a daze, like you are somewhere else."  
  
Hank smiled. "I just had the most incredible date with the most incredible woman that I have ever met."  
  
Luis looked at him, understanding the look in his eyes. That was the way that he felt about Sheridan Crane. He pushed the thoughts of her out of his mind before he brought down his friend, who had finally fallen in love. "Don't keep me in suspense, man. Who is she?"  
  
Hank looked at him with a twinkle in his eyes. "Her name is Kate." He answered. "I'm not sure who she is exactly, but I'm going to find out." 


	11. Why me?

I solemnly swear that I do no now nor have I ever owned Passions, or any of the characters that appear on the show. I promise.  
  
Authors Note: I just wanted to thank everyone for the reviews. Thank you for reading my first fan fiction story! Hope you keep on Reading and Reviewing! (By the way, did everyone notice why the nicknames that Kate and Fox have for one another are important? If she had said that her twin brother was Fox, Hank would have known instantly that she is a Crane. I want to keep some things secret! After all, everyone else in Harmony has secrets, why shouldn't Kate?)  
  
Chapter 11- Why Me?  
  
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!"  
  
Kate groaned, and burrowed deeper under the covers. Fox pulled them back. Kate threw a pillow at him, which narrowly missed his head. "Why are you torturing me? I had a late night. I want to sleep in!" She whined, trying to pull her covers back.  
  
Fox had other ideas. "Oh no Meg." He said, yanking the covers out of her reach. Kate sat back and pouted. "Not until you tell me what you were doing last night. I spoke to Audrey, and she told me that you had a date! So, fill me in. Where did you actually meet someone who met your ultra high standards here in Harmony?"  
  
Kate got up and pulled a silk screened robe from China out of her immense closet. She slipped her arms into it, and tied the cord. "If you must know, I met the guy the old fashioned way. I poured my cappuccino on him. After I bought him a new shirt and he bought me lunch, he invited me on a date." She sighed and flopped back on her bed, he flopped down on the other side. "Oh Nicky, it was so incredible, I have never been with anyone like him. He is so smart, and funny. Not haughty funny, like that insipid Drake Henderson that we went to school with. He has the nicest smile, and the way he kissed me... I have never felt this way about anyone before!"  
  
"Meg, did you hit your head on something, or are you serious?" Fox turned to his sister. "I have known you every minute of my whole twenty three years on this earth, and I have never heard you talk about anyone this way! Are you really falling for him?  
  
Kate smiled. "I think I am." She couldn't believe this was happening to her. It was like a dream, or maybe an opera. Girl from rich, society family falls for police officer from the other side of the tracks. She could see it.  
  
"So who is he, anyway?"  
  
Kate sighed again. His name is Hank, Hank Bennett."  
  
Fox sat up. "You must be joking." He said, shocked.  
  
Kate rolled over, and looked at him. "No, I'm not kidding. Why would you say such a thing?" It wasn't like her brother to be that snobby, not after all the help that he...  
  
"Meg, Hank Bennett is Sam Bennett's younger brother. You know Sam is Ethan's father, right?" Fox informed her gently.  
  
She was shocked. She had known that the name was familiar, but she never would have guessed this. "Oh no!" She moaned. "Why does this kind of stuff always happen to me?" 


	12. A Cruel Cosmic Joke

I do not own Passions or any of the characters. If I did, then this storyline would be a reality, and Sheridan would have died along time ago. (She frustrates me!)  
  
Chapter 12- A cruel cosmic joke  
  
Hank snapped his cell phone shut. He had been trying to reach Kate for the past few hours, but all he could reach was her voicemail. He wondered what was going on. Maybe she didn't want him to call her. He had thought that she had as good of a time as he did on their date last night, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe he should just give up, admit defeat.  
  
"Hey Hank!" His brother Sam called to him, snapping him out of his self pity. He turned around and looked at his brother. "Domestic disturbance call, you and Becker head out!" Sam ordered before disappearing back into his office.  
  
Hank sighed, and got up from his desk. I guess it's better than sitting in the stationhouse thinking about her, he thought as he walked out the door and started the police car.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kate had turned off her cell phone earlier that day. She didn't know what to do. She paced around her room, trying to figure out some sort of plan. She had never met anyone who made her feel like Hank Bennett did, but he was practically related to her! She didn't know what to do. This was like a cruel cosmic joke.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Theresa was on her way back home from church when she saw Fox standing outside waiting for her. She smiled and waved. He smiled back.  
  
"Hi," She said, kissing him. "What are you doing here?" She asked.  
  
Fox kissed her again. "Can't a guy just come by to kiss his beautiful girlfriend?"  
  
Theresa smiled. Fox was so unlike most of his family. He was so kind and he really cared about her. "Sure, you can. But something is telling me that you came here for some other reason. So why don't you just tell me what it is, and we can go back to kissing."  
  
Fox and Theresa sat down on the front steps of her home. "It's Kate." He said. Theresa waited for him to continue. "I don't know what to do. She went out with a man last night, and she fell for him. The whole situation is bad, and is probably going to get worse."  
  
Theresa was surprised. Fox was acting like his sister falling in love was a bad thing. "Fox, love is a good thing. It is wonderful. What could be so bad about Kate finding it?"  
  
Fox looked her in the eye. "She fell for Hank Bennett." 


	13. So what's the problem?

I don't own anything in this story. Got that? Nothing, nada, zip, zilch.  
  
Chapter 13- What's the problem?  
  
Theresa's eyes widened. "Wow," she murmured. She had known Hank Bennett her whole life. Her older brother Luis was his best friend. Her mother was close with his former sister in law. "Well, Fox, I'm a little surprised, but I know that Hank is a great guy. I have known him for years. Kate could do a lot worse. What is the big problem?" She asked.  
  
Fox groaned, and ran a hand through his hair. "Theresa, need I remind you about Ethan? Hank is his uncle, remember?" He stated impatiently.  
  
"Yeah, but the last time I checked, Ethan was your half brother, meaning that you guys aren't related to Hank or Sam. So again, I ask, what is the big problem?" Theresa challenged. She didn't see the big deal.  
  
Fox looked at her. "Don't you think it's weird?" He asked her. "My sister is dating my brother's uncle. Anyway, I don't think that there will be a second date. She is freaking out about this. I can't say I blame her."  
  
Theresa stood up. "Come on," she said, walking to his car. Fox followed her, and put the key in the ignition.  
  
"Where are we going?" He asked.  
  
Theresa looked at him. "To the mansion, of course. I'm going to talk to your sister."  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Damn!" Ivy cried out. She had just burned her hand on the smoking baking pan that she had just pulled out of the oven. The fire alarm was beeping frantically, and the kitchen was filled with smoke.  
  
Ivy's eyes were filled with tears of frustration and pain as she quickly dropped the pan on the counter. She opened the window and tried to blow the smoke out of the house. She hated doing all of this. She couldn't cook. She couldn't iron. She couldn't keep the house clean.  
  
As she took ice out of the freezer and gingerly placed it on her hand, she looked around the kitchen. It was a mess. She couldn't see into the living room, but she knew the mess that was in there waiting for her to clean up.  
  
It was all Theresa's fault she was stuck here, doing menial tasks, keeping a house for Sam's ungrateful, resentful children. If she hadn't exposed her, and then kicked her out of her own house, she wouldn't be in this predicament. Someday, Theresa would get what she deserves. Ivy thought. Someday.  
  
~*~*~  
  
There was a knock at the door. Kate was really in no mood to talk to anyone right now. "Kate, are you there?" She heard through the door. "It's Theresa. Can I talk to you?" The door opened and Theresa stepped inside.  
  
Kate was laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. "Kate," Theresa started, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "What's wrong?"  
  
Kate looked at her. "Didn't Fox tell you?"  
  
Theresa looked sheepish. "Yeah, but I don't really see the problem that you two do. Hank is a great guy. Any girl would be lucky to have him." She put her hand on Kate's arm.  
  
"Don't you think it's weird?"  
  
Theresa smiled. "The only thing I think is weird is that you two think that there is something wrong with dating a nice, polite, law abiding police officer with a nice smile."  
  
Kate laughed. "I guess you are right. I was just being stupid. I just didn't expect to like him so much. I don't get this way with guys. I am always in control of my emotions, but with him, I feel like I'm spinning out of control."  
  
"I don't know what you are talking about. I never have control of my emotions. I just let them out, and that always gets me into trouble." She said miserably, tears forming in her eyes. "I lost my son because of it and I lost Ethan. But I will be damned if I lose Fox too. I don't think that I could stand that."  
  
Kate handed Theresa a tissue from the box on the mahogany table next to her canopy bed. "You really care about him, don't you?" Kate said, impressed by the emotion of Theresa.  
  
Theresa dabbed her eyes. "Fox is the only person still on my side, the only person who I can count on to help me. I love him, I really do."  
  
Kate smiled reassuringly. "Fox isn't the only one in your corner, you know. Don't worry. Soon, you will have your son back. You just have to sit back an watch as my plan unfolds." 


	14. First day Flowers

You know the drill. I didn't purchase Passions or any of the characters that appear on the show in a recent shopping trip. I have no rights, so please NBC, don't sue me. I don't have any money. I am a college student. I'm poor.  
  
Chapter 14- First Day Flowers  
  
Alistair Crane was sitting at his desk in his office suite at Crane Industries. His secretary's voice came over the intercom. "Excuse me, Mr. Crane; your granddaughter is here to see you."  
  
Alistair smiled. "Send her in, Gina." He replied, as he pressed the button on his desk. His door opened, and Kate stepped inside.  
  
"Good morning, Grandfather," she said brightly. "I am here to work. Just point me in the right direction." He motioned for her to sit down in one of the sleek black leather chairs in front of his desk. She sat down.  
  
"Hello, Kate." He said to her. "I think that you will be a nice addition to Crane Industries. I was glad when I heard that Theresa Lopez- Fitzgerald decided to come on board with us. I think that you two will do wonders for the Fashion Division of the company. Theresa had had success before I was forced to let her go. I am giving you the title of Vice President in Charge of Fashion Merchandising. Theresa will work in a smaller, but significant office. I will send you the papers down to your office on the fourteenth floor. Theresa will be right down the hall. Good luck today, my dear."  
  
"Thank you Grandfather." Kate said, and she left the office, and headed down the elevator to the fourteenth floor. Theresa was waiting for her when she entered the room for the very first time.  
  
"So, what do we do now?" Theresa asked. It was weird to be back in her old office with someone else in the position that she once held. But she was working, and it was a good job, stable, secure, and the best part, it came with a good paycheck.  
  
Kate looked at her. "Honestly, I have no idea. That is part of the reason that I asked for you to come on board with me. You once held this position, and I figured that you could help me."  
  
Theresa smiled reassuringly. "This job is really easy. All you have to do is approve or veto what the experts hand you. They are going to come in and show you swatches and design sketches, and you have to make a decision on what you like and don't like. I'll be right down the hall if you need me, but I think that you will be fine. I peeked into your closet, you have great taste."  
  
"Thanks!" Kate said, her face brightening. Just then, there was a knock at her door. A young girl with short wavy black hair poked her head in.  
  
"Pardon my intrusion, Miss Crane, but I have a delivery for you." The girl said softly, adjusting her glasses. "If you don't mind, I'll bring it in for you." Kate nodded, and the girl left and reappeared with a beautiful bouquet of lilies, her favorite flowers.  
  
Kate gasped. She took the card out of the little holder and opened the envelope. The card read:  
  
To the girl with no last name, Thank you for a great date. Good luck at the new job, Hank  
  
Theresa had been peeking over her shoulder at the card. "Aww, that is so sweet. But how did he find you? Did you tell him you were working here?"  
  
Yeah, I guess I did. Do you think he knows who I really am? I only gave him my first name. I didn't want him to not want to go out with me just because I'm a Crane." Kate worried.  
  
"Don't worry, Kate." Theresa soothed. "Look at the first like of the card. He calls you 'the girl with no last name'. I am sure that he doesn't know who you are, and trust me when I say, Hank wouldn't care. He used to be in love with your Aunt Sheridan, before he lost her to my brother Luis, who lost her to my other brother, Antonio. It's a whole big mess that you don't have to concern yourself with right now."  
  
The phone rang. Theresa said goodbye, and left the office, and went down the hall to her own office. Kate picked up the phone. "Hello," she said with authority into the receiver.  
  
"You are a very hard woman to get a hold of, Kate." A voice said. Her heart leapt, when she realized it was Hank. "Finding someone in company without a last name and not even knowing if your real first name is not easy."  
  
She sat down in her leather desk chair. "I hope it was worth it," she replied, leaning back.  
  
"I think so." He said. "Did you get my flowers?" He asked her.  
  
"Yes, and they are beautiful. How did you know that lilies are my favorite?"  
  
"Lucky guess. Did you get my messages?"  
  
"Yeah, sorry about that. I forgot to charge my cell and the battery died."  
  
"That's okay. Are you free tonight for dinner?"  
  
"For you? Of course. What time?"  
  
"When do you get off work?"  
  
"Sixish."  
  
"I'll meet you at six thirty in our spot, okay?"  
  
"Sounds great. See you then."  
  
"Bye."  
  
She hung up the phone, and sighed. She couldn't understand why she was so apprehensive about dating him. He was so amazing. Just talking on the phone with him made her feel as though the day would never end. She couldn't wait for the work day to be over so her night could begin.  
  
The young woman that had brought in her flowers earlier turned out to be her secretary Trudie. She was now bringing in a sheaf of papers for her to sign. Slipping her glasses on, she started to go through the numerous documents.  
  
It was nearly one when she got through all of the papers. Handing them to Trudie, she dialed the phone. "Hi, Nicky. Did you eat yet? Good. Meet me at that little café on Main Street, okay? See you!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Half an hour later, she and Fox were sitting in the café laughing and eating. It felt so good to be with him. She had missed him so much when he left school and came back here. She hadn't understood why he had wanted to return to a place that held so many bad memories. But now that she was here in Harmony again, she understood his need to come home and make new memories.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hank couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was watching the girl of his dreams hug Fox Crane. What the hell is going on?!? He thought. She kissed his cheek, and gave him one last hug before walking away. He really thought that she liked him. Maybe she was just humoring him by going out with him tonight. Maybe he should have just taken the obvious hint when she didn't call him back. Lost in his thoughts, he returned to the station. 


	15. Crying in Gazebos

I own nothing in this story. I repeat, nothing.  
  
Author's Note- This chapter is really to illustrate the motivation of Fox and Kate's actions, and feelings about their parents, especially Kate's.  
  
Chapter 15- Crying in Gazebos  
  
Fox knocked on the door to Rebecca's room. Silence. He stealthily slipped into the room and placed the tiny recorder under the dressing table in the center of the room. He then moved on down the hall to his brother and sister in law's room. He stuck the recorder behind a mirror. He placed one in his father's office behind a painting, another in the library, and a few more in the solarium, sitting room and the dining room. Mission accomplished, he thought. The first phase of the plan was complete.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kate had been waiting for Hank Bennett for over an hour. She was getting worried. Where was he? Did something happen? Did he- No, he wouldn't have stood her up. He wouldn't dare. No one had ever done something like that to her. No one had ever had the nerve. But where was he?  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hank Bennett had volunteered to work a double shift. He didn't want to give himself the chance to cave in and go out with Kate. What was she doing with Fox? He couldn't figure it out. If she wants someone like Fox, then she definitely wouldn't want someone like himself. Forcing it out of his mind, he looked back down at the paperwork he had in front of him.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kate checked her messages for the last time. She fought back tears as she walked back to her car. She couldn't believe that someone had actually stood her up. This was her own fault. She had allowed him to get to her, to get into her heart. When she turned into the driveway, the tears she had been struggling with started to spill over. She knew she couldn't go inside right now. She couldn't let anyone see her like this. So instead, Kate walked across the lawn to the gazebo, and sank down on one of the seats. Pulling her knees to her chest, she started to sob.  
  
Fox had been waiting for Kate, watching from the window in the hall. He had seen the pain on her face. Silently, he made his way down the stairs, and towards the gazebo. There she was, sitting alone, crying. He had only seen her get like this once before, seven years ago. They were sophomores at Saint Andrews, and Kate had just been announced as the first in their class. She had just led the debate team to victory in a European competition. She was class president, and a star athlete in tennis and golf, and at the end of the term, at the Annual Awards Ceremony, she received dozens of awards in academics and athletics. But their parents didn't show up. She had to watch all of the other parents congratulate their children on a job well done for the year. She had to endure the "well done's!" and "good shows!" from the Bannings, and the Garrison-Greys, while her parents were absent once again from her life. They said they were just too busy, but she had known the truth. They didn't care about her. If they did, they would have come, they would have known how important their attendance was to her.  
  
There was a dance that night. She had gone, forced a smile on her face, danced with Dylan and several other eligible young men, but inside she had been screaming. She had slipped out in the middle of the party, Fox had followed her. He found her in the gardens outside of the school, sitting on the steps of the gazebo. Her white satin dress was iridescent in the moonlight. She was sobbing, crying as though her heart was breaking.  
  
When Fox sat down on the steps next to her, and she had looked up at him all teary eyed. He put her arms around her and she cried, and cried, and they just sat there, sitting in the moonlit garden of the place their parents had shipped them off to rather than be real parents.  
  
The one thing that no one knew about Kate was that for the first sixteen years of their lives, she had tried everything she could to gain their parents approval. She excelled in classes, in sports, and with the other students. They all loved her. But no matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, she never got what she wanted. They still only saw her as the second born, Ethan was all they could see. Ethan took all the love that she so desperately wanted, and left nothing over for her. All they gave her were more tears.  
  
After that, she refused to go home. She realized that nothing she did would never measure up to "Prince Ethan," as she began to call him. She vowed that she would never again let anyone hurt her like that. She never let anyone get close enough. Kate had put up so many walls around her heart; Fox was surprised that she let him in.  
  
Now Fox stared at his twin, who was sobbing in a gazebo seven years later, he did the only thing he could. He sat down next to her, and put an arm around her. She cried harder, and his shirt soon was wet with her tears. He didn't know what to do for her, but he knew that he would find out who caused his sister this heartache, and cause them an immense amount of pain. 


	16. Realizations

I have no rights to any of the characters that are on the soap opera Passions. I wish that I did, but unfortunately, some things are just out of reach.  
  
Chapter 16- Realizations  
  
Kate was trying to concentrate on her work. She had the designers coming in today to show her some sketches for the fall line. She had okayed a few sketches, but for the most part, the clothing that they thought was going get approved was abysmal. She had snapped at several of them, but not really for the poor work, she was still so hurt and upset from last night. She was angry now. He won't get away with this. She thought. He is going to pay.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kate was different. Theresa didn't know what happened between the end of the workday yesterday and when she came in to the office this morning, but she knew something was wrong. Kate was distant and not herself. Maybe Fox knows what happened. Theresa thought, picking up the phone.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hank was just getting off of work when Luis called him on his cell phone. "Hey, man." He said.  
  
"How was it?" Luis asked him. He wanted to know how his friend had fared with his mystery woman on their date last night.  
  
"Look, Luis, I'm too tired to get into this right now. I'm going home to get some sleep." Hank couldn't help but yawn.  
  
"Wow. I didn't expect you to do that well last night. She must have tired you out."  
  
"Not that it's any of your business, but I worked a double shift last night." Hank retorted, getting annoyed. He didn't want to discuss last night with anyone.  
  
"How did the lovely Kate take it?" Luis asked him.  
  
"I wouldn't know. I didn't talk to her."  
  
Luis couldn't understand what he was hearing. "You never told her? What is wrong with you? You couldn't talk about anything else but her these last few days, what happened?"  
  
"She was with Fox Crane. I saw them hug, and then she kissed him."  
  
"Look man," Luis began. "All I know is that you have been walking on air since you met her, and when you find someone like that, you can't let them slip away because you have a bit of competition. You just can't."  
  
Hank started to feel very guilty. He shouldn't have left her hanging like that. It's not like he had never had to steal a woman away from another guy before. "You're right, Luis. Thanks man, you made me see the situation a little more clearly. I'll talk to you later." He didn't know what he was going to do, but he knew that he had to do something to win back the woman that he was falling in love with, and it had to be big. 


	17. What do you think you are doing?

I do not, nor have I ever owned, in full or in part, Passions, or any of the characters that appear in the past, present or future.  
  
Chapter 17- What do you think you are doing?  
  
"I don't know what to tell you, Theresa." Fox told his girlfriend. "She was upset last night, but she didn't tell me what happened." He was lying. He knew exactly what happened; Kate had blurted it out last night. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he had to do something. He wasn't going to sit back and watch some jerk hurt his sister like that.  
  
"Are you sure, Fox?" Theresa asked. She had a feeling that he wasn't telling her the whole truth. She shrugged it off. "Okay. Goodbye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kate had received many calls that day from Hank, but she never allowed him to be put through. She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to think about him, but that was to no avail, because every time she closed her eyes, his face filled her mind.  
  
At the end of the day, she went down to the parking garage, where she had parked her car, and stopped dead in her tracks. He was standing next to her car. She felt the tears of last night start to well in the back of her eyes, and she turned around and got back in the elevator. She frantically pushed the up button, trying to make the doors close faster. He was running over to her, yelling at her to wait. He was only a few feet away when the doors thankfully closed. She sank to the floor of the elevator car, and started to cry again.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hank had tried to reach Kate all day, but she never let him talk to her. He had to talk to her, to explain, and hopefully get another chance with her. He had waited for her in the parking garage, because he couldn't get clearance upstairs to the offices. When she had finally come down, she saw him, and turned back around. He had tried to get to the elevator before the doors closed, and had seen a glimpse of her face before they shut. He had seen the tears in her beautiful blue eyes, the tears that he had caused. He couldn't believe that he had caused her that much pain.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Fox had come to pick Theresa up so that they could go and grab a bite to eat when Kate stumbled out of the elevator in tears. "Stay here," He told his girlfriend, who nodded. "Kate?" He asked when he reached her office. "Are you alright?"  
  
She turned around. "Does it look like I'm alright?" She asked him, reaching into the cabinet behind her and pulling out a bottle of vodka. She took a swig from it, and, coughing, she looked at him. "He was down there, waiting for me, waiting by my car."  
  
Fox saw red. The guy who had caused his sister all this agony was downstairs, waiting to hurt her more. He walked out the door, down the hall to the elevator. He ignored the calls of his girlfriend and his sister, and got in. He was going to have a little chat with this guy.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Theresa ran into Kate's office, and was astonished at the sight of her. Kate, who had always seemed so composed, so together, was a teary mess. "What is going on, why did Fox leave so quickly?" She asked.  
  
The reality of what had he was going to do hit Kate like a freight train. "Oh God!" She exclaimed, and ran out the door. The elevator was still on its way down, so she rushed to the stairwell, and started down the stairs two at a time, Theresa right behind her.  
  
It took forever to get to the parking garage. Kate pushed the door open, and saw them, in the middle of the empty space, in a huge brawl. Kate and Theresa looked on in horror as one punch after another was thrown.  
  
"STOP!" Kate screamed at the top of her lungs. "Stop it now!"  
  
Fox and Hank froze, looking at her. "What the hell are you doing? What is wrong with you?" Kate said. "Why are you still here?" She asked Hank. "And you," She turned to Fox, "Why are you fighting my battles for me? I am not weak, I can take care of myself, I have been since you left me all alone to come here!" All the anger and hurt she had been feeling since he left came flooding out. "You didn't even say goodbye! You just left in the middle of the night, leaving me a note! And you..." She turned back to Hank. "I had the best night of my life with you! Then you stand me up! You show up here, and fight with Fox, what do you think is going to happen? Did you think I was going to forgive you for hurting me like that? Did you think that I would forgive anyone for treating me like that?"  
  
Both men just looked at her, not sure what to say. Kate realized what she had just done. She had just shown these people her emotions, something she never did. To let people see that was to give them power over you. "I- I have to go." She stammered, still reeling. She ran over to her car, and drove away as fast as her car could go. 


	18. Moving the First Chess Piece

I do not own Passions. I would love to though, so if anyone knows how I can go about making that a reality, let me know.  
  
Author's Note- A friend of mine who proof reads all of my stories told me that I needed to do something to Rebecca or to Gwen, because I have written 17 chapters, and very little of that is devoted to what the story is about. Don't worry, I have something planned, and some of it is at the end of this chapter. Stay tuned, and please review! I love when that magic number goes up!  
  
Chapter 18- Moving the first Chess Piece.  
  
Kate finally reached the mansion. She was mad, livid even. She needed to get this over with. She would expose the people who hurt her for the lying, scheming, evil people that they were, and then she would leave this God forsaken place, and never return again.  
  
Kate berated herself for ever coming back here. She had sworn that she never would. This trip had proven that she, like the rest of her family, was destined for nothing but pain and suffering. She would never find someone to love her, not someone who would really love her. That was all she ever really wanted. The love she and Fox had for each other came close, but that was brother and sister love, and she wanted real love.  
  
She walked in the house, slamming the door behind her. Phyllis, the head housekeeper, timidly came over to her. "Miss Crane?" She said, her voice trembling. "The papers that you requested came today." She handed her a thick manila envelope, and backed out of the room.  
  
Kate had suspected something for a long time, even before she had come home. The documents that would either prove or disprove her theory were in her hand, along with something else her contact had dug up. She couldn't wait to see the results.  
  
Once she was upstairs in her bedroom with the door locked, she opened the envelope. She reached into the envelope, and pulled out a thick stack of papers. Her eyes widened as she looked at the first document, which had come from the pathology lab of Harmony Medical Center. Her suspicions were correct. Little Ethan wasn't who everyone else thought he was.  
  
She went through the other documents, from a legal clerk who worked in Boston. She wasn't very surprised by what she found, she had always known what a lying, conniving witch her mother was, but she was impressed by the thoroughness of her scheme. She would really enjoy exposing this one.  
  
Finally she found a DVD. She put it in her laptop, and pressed the play button when the screen came to life. She gasped at what she saw. Her father and Dr. Russell! She wasn't surprised about her father, but the good doctor? Kate couldn't believe it. She also wasn't sure what to do with this, since it would hurt a lot more people who had never done anything to her. Kate wasn't sure she was prepared to do that to anyone.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Fox and Theresa had gone back upstairs to her office after the fight. While Theresa was trying to find ice to put on Fox' eye, which was already turning dark purple, Fox was thinking about what Kate had said to him before running out of garage. Did he really abandon her? The more he thought about it, the more he agreed with her. He had never been good with goodbyes, so he had just left her a note, and hopped a jet here in the middle of the night.  
  
He had to go find her. He had to apologize to her, for everything.  
  
~*~*~  
  
When Rebecca strolled into her bedroom, she never expected to see her new stepdaughter sitting at the chair across from her door. She gasped, shocked. Kate motioned for her to sit on the chair next to her, and she did so, wondering what she was going to do.  
  
"I want you to give Theresa back her son." Kate said, the matter of factness in her voice made Rebecca very nervous.  
  
"Are you joking? Why in the world would I do something like that?" Rebecca answered, trying to mask the fear in her voice. She knew that she would not be having this conversation if Kate didn't know something. Rebecca racked her brain, trying to think of what it could be; she had done quite a few things that would probably be seen as less than honest, even downright evil.  
  
"Because I want you to. And you definitely do not want to make me upset, I may let something that I found out slip, perhaps 'email' someone something that you and Gwen wouldn't want others to know." Kate stated. Rebecca was near panic now that she understood that Kate knew that she and Gwen had sent the email to that tabloid. Did she know anything else? Rebecca had to know.  
  
"I know more than that dear stepmother." Kate said. "And if you want to stay alive, because you and I both know that once people find out about your treachery, you and your daughter will be history, then you will give Theresa back her son by tomorrow night, and you will leave her and her family alone. For good. I mean it Rebecca, if I have to have another conversation with you on this subject, it will not be in private. That is a promise Rebecca, not an idle threat."  
  
Kate walked over to the door, and said, "Sweet dreams, dear stepmother!" She swept out the door without another word.  
  
Rebecca slumped in her chair. This was bad, very bad. She tried as hard as she could to think of a way to retaliate against this move, but nothing came to mind, at least, not anything she could accomplish by tomorrow night. Rebecca left the room, went down the long hall, toward her daughter's bedroom. She hated to do this to her Gwennie, but she had to protect them. There was nothing else they could do. 


	19. A Most Unwelcome Visit

I do not own Passions, any of the characters, or the sleepy little town of Harmony. I would hope that you would know this, but I also do not own Donald Trump, I am pretty sure that he owns himself, although his ex-wives own quite a bit!  
  
Chapter 19- A Most Unwelcome Visit  
  
At work the next day, Kate was sitting in her office doing some paperwork when her assistant Trudie's voice came over the intercom.  
  
"Miss Crane, I tried to stop her, she wouldn't listen to me!" Trudie cried. "She is on her way to your office." Her door burst open to reveal her mother, Ivy, standing there, a very angry look on her face.  
  
"Marguerite Katherine Constance Crane, explain yourself this instant!" Ivy demanded.  
  
"Explain what?" Kate asked.  
  
"Explain why you have been in town for nearly two weeks, and you haven't bothered to tell your own mother!" Ivy yelled at her daughter. "I had to hear it from Rebecca!"  
  
Kate stood up. "Mother, you never gave a damn about me in the past, why should I have bothered? I knew you wouldn't care. You never have."  
  
Ivy looked shocked by Kate's statement. "I still had a right to know. I am your mother, after all."  
  
Kate rolled her eyes. "Mother, you gave up your right to know when you shipped me off to boarding school and left me there."  
  
"Your father and I sent you there to get the best education money could buy!" Ivy countered.  
  
"Money, right. That was the only thing that you and father could ever give me. Never anything else, like love, or compassion!" Kate countered.  
  
"We did the best that we could!" Ivy said, wavering slightly.  
  
"That was the best you could? Mother, please, don't dare to lie to me. I grew up watching the way that you were with Ethan, don't tell me that the way you treated me was the best you could!"  
  
"Ethan has nothing to do with this!" Ivy said.  
  
"Ethan has everything to do with this! My whole life, I wondered what was so wrong with me that my parents hated me so much that they had to ship me off to another continent so they wouldn't have to look at me! Kate shot at her. "And then, a few years ago, I found out what it was. I was a real Crane, I was Father's child. Ethan was some bastard child with your former love."  
  
Anger flashed in Ivy's eyes. "Don't you dare speak of Sam Bennett, or Ethan! You have no right judging me for things you don't understand!"  
  
"Mother, your problem isn't that I don't understand, the problem is that I do."  
  
"Kate, I'm warning you..."  
  
"Warning me about what? I already know what a bad person you are, let alone mother."  
  
"How dare you..." Ivy began, but Kate cut her off.  
  
"How dare I what? Tell you the truth? Why do you think that you haven't seen me for SEVEN years, mother? Lizzie and Lexie haven't been home for at least that long, Fox only came home a year ago, and from what I have seen and heard, you haven't been all that maternal towards him. I know that life as a socialite is extremely taxing, but I thought you had time to learn how to count. You have FIVE children, not just ONE!"  
  
Kate took a breath. "I think it is time for you to leave, Mother." She turned away, looking out the window. When she heard the door slam, she felt relieved. Had she just done that? Kate had been waiting for years to tell her mother all the things she just had.  
  
Theresa poked her head in the door. "Kate, are you okay?" She asked.  
  
Kate turned around. "Did you just hear what happened?" They had gotten pretty loud.  
  
"I think that people in Vermont heard what happened, Kate." Theresa said to her. She couldn't believe some of the things that Kate had said to her, some were pretty harsh, not that Ivy didn't deserve them, but still.  
  
"I can't believe I just did that." Kate said softly, sitting down in her chair.  
  
"Believe it. You really let her have it."  
  
"I have wanted to say those things to her for so long. I needed to do that." Kate said. "I want her to feel as much pain as I have. That little display doesn't even come close."  
  
"What you said about Ethan, Fox said something like that a few months ago, you know."  
  
"Ethan, yeah. He always had all of Mother's love and attention. He really is the key to-"Kate stopped mid sentence. She knew the perfect way to hurt a lot of people at the same time. "Excuse me, Theresa, but I need to go and see my Grandfather for a few minutes. I will be back later."  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Alistair, your granddaughter is here to see you. Should I let her in?" His secretary Gina asked.  
  
"Yes, you can send her in."  
  
Kate opened the door. "I hope that I am not disturbing you Grandfather, but I want to do something, and I thought that I would run it by you first."  
  
"Well, what is it, my dear?" Alistair asked her as she sat down across from him.  
  
"I was thinking, I want to show people here that I am not to be trifled with, that I mean business. I remember a story that you once told me, that you always fire someone when you take over a company, to show them that you are not messing around."  
  
"What is it that you want to do? Fire someone?" He asked her. She was growing more and more like him every day.  
  
"Yes, I do. I don't want to fire just anyone, though. I want to fire someone specific, but I wanted to get an okay from you first."  
  
"Who is it?" He asked her.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Miss Crane? He is here to see you now."  
  
"Thank you Trudie. Send him in." Kate told her.  
  
The man came in. "Sit down." She instructed him.  
  
"What is this about?" He asked.  
  
"The company is moving forward, and unfortunately, not with you. You're fired." Kate said simply, very Donald Trump.  
  
"WHAT!!" Ethan said, in obvious shock.  
  
"I was speaking to Grandfather, and he and I came to the conclusion that you no longer fit into the company's future. I will need you to clear out your office by the end of the day." Kate told him, with a smile.  
  
Ethan stood up. He couldn't believe what was happening. 


	20. Dreams Turn Into Nighmares

I do not own Passions.  
  
Chapter 20- Dreams turn into Nighmares  
  
At five o'clock, Theresa left the office, got into her car, and drove home. She had been living with Whitney and Chad in their apartment since her family was evicted. She was still upset that her mother had to live in the Bennett B&B, cleaning rooms for room and board. Miguel was living with Kay and Tabitha, and Luis had moved in with Beth to be closer to little Martin. She missed coming home and having her whole family there. She wished that she could figure out a way to fix this mess she had gotten her whole family into.  
  
Stepping in the door, she gasped at the sight in front of her. "Oh my God." Theresa said out loud. "Is this a dream?" Her son, Little Ethan, was sitting on the living room floor, playing with some building blocks with Whitney and Fox.  
  
The little boy looked up when the door opened. "Mommy!" He cried, leaping from the carpet, and throwing his arms around her. Realizing that this wasn't a dream, Theresa started to cry when she hugged him. "What's wrong, Mommy?" Little Ethan asked her, seeing the tears in her eyes. "Are you sad?"  
  
Theresa wiped them away, and said, "No, sweetheart, I'm not sad. I'm crying because I am so happy to see you. How did Uncle Fox and Aunt Whitney sneak you out of the mansion?" Her question was really directed to the other adults in the room.  
  
Fox shook his head. "We had nothing to do with this." He explained. "Whitney called and said that a social worker had dropped him off, and said that he was being place back with his mother. I think that this is Kate at work. I don't know of anyone else who could pull this off so quickly."  
  
Whitney hugged Theresa. "This is great! You finally have your son back."  
  
"I don't understand." Theresa said, very confused. "Is this some sort of joke?"  
  
"Theresa, I don't think so. I called Child Services when Whitney called me, and everything seems on the up and up." Fox told her.  
  
"You mean, Little Ethan is here to stay?" Theresa asked, the situation finally sinking in. "This is really happening?"  
  
"I think so." Whitney said.  
  
Theresa just hugged Little Ethan. She couldn't believe that she had him back after all this time. Her prayers had been answered.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Meanwhile, Kate was walking around on the streets of Harmony, not really paying attention, when she ran into something. She was about to fall, getting the feeling of déjà vu, she looked up at what she had run into, and of course, it was the last person she wanted to see right now.  
  
"Hank, are you stalking me?" Kate asked him. "Because as a police officer, you should know that stalking is illegal in all fifty states."  
  
"Kate, I just wanted to-"Kate held up her hand, cutting him off.  
  
"I don't want to hear it, Hank." She told him, trying to move past him, but he wouldn't let her go.  
  
"Kate, I need for you to know that I am sorry." He said. "I shouldn't have left you that night. It's just that I saw you with Fox that afternoon. You two looked so close, and I... I shouldn't have just left you."  
  
Kate felt something in her soften towards Hank. "You didn't show up because you saw me with Fox?" She asked. This was her fault. If she had told him who she really was, none of this would be happening. "You thought I was dating Fox?" Kate started to laugh, this situation was so... stupid.  
  
Hank looked puzzled. "What's so funny?" He asked her.  
  
Kate looked up at him. "Fox, the guy you were so jealous of, is my twin brother."  
  
Hank was shocked. He had expected a lot of things to explain what he had seen, but this was not one of them. "Your brother is Fox?" He said, incredulously. Suddenly, he realized what that meant. "And that makes you a..."  
  
Kate nodded. "Yeah, I'm a Crane. I didn't want to tell you. I have been out with a lot of people who just want to date me because of my family. For once I wanted to go out with someone who just wanted to go out with me for me, not for what I have in the bank, or who my family has connections with. I wanted you to like me, and I didn't trust that you would give me a real chance if I told you who I was."  
  
"Kate, I do like you." Hank told her, putting his hand on her cheek. He was relieved when she didn't pull away. "I don't care what your first, last or middle name is, I like you for you." He leaned over and kissed her. He was so glad that this misunderstanding was taken care of.  
  
Kate smiled up at him. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him again. "I am so happy that this is over." She said. "I was walking around in a pretty bad mood these last two weeks."  
  
Hank smiled and took her hand. "I wasn't very great to be around either."  
  
"I can tell you right now, I was definitely worse. I have the power to make people miserable, and trust me; I really took that power and ran with it." Kate said, ashamed of the way she had acted towards her employees.  
  
"I'm sure you couldn't have been that bad." Hank said, kissing her hand. He missed being around her. He had never been this hung up on anyone before, especially someone he had only gone on one date with.  
  
Kate looked over at him. "I fired a designer." She told him.  
  
"Okay, so you were pretty bad." Hank said. "I guess I can't break up with you then, for the sake of other people's employment."  
  
"Nope, I guess you can't." Kate replied. "So, where do we go from here?" Kate asked him when they reached her car. "We could go back to the mansion and talk or something." Kate said suggestively.  
  
"Or something." Hank said, kissing her. "But only if you want to."  
  
"I was the one who suggested it," She told him, unlocking the door. "Now get in."  
  
When she started the car, she thought of something. "By the way, do you have your handcuffs with you, by any chance?"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Gwen was angry. She was crazed. Last night, her mother had taken away her son, to give him back to that little tramp, Theresa. She had told her that Kate was blackmailing her into giving him up. Then this afternoon, Ethan had called her, and told him that he had lost his job. Kate and Alistair had fired him. He told her that because he wasn't working, that the other child, a little girl they had found, had been given to another couple who had more 'stability'. This was all Kate's fault. And Gwen was going to make her pay.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kate and Hank were lying on her bed, both utterly exhausted. Kate had never felt so connected to someone before. She snuggled against his chest while Hank stroked her long, silky blonde hair. As far as Kate was concerned, she could stay like this forever.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Theresa was staring at her son, who was sleeping peacefully on her bed in Whitney and Chad's apartment. Her heart was so full, she was afraid it might burst. She had her son with her, he was here, right where he belonged.  
  
Fox came up behind her, and slipped his arms around her waist. She looked up at him, smiling. "I feel like I'm dreaming." She murmured. "I feel like if I close my eyes, all this will disappear."  
  
"Well, you are not dreaming, Theresa." Fox said, turning her around. "This is real, all of it. Your son is really here with you, and he will never be taken from you again. I promise you that." He kissed her, sealing that promise.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kate and Hank finally emerged from her bedroom, and they were walking down the drive to the garage to Kate's car, when Kate heard someone call her name. They both turned around, and saw Gwen marching across the lawn, a crazed look on her face.  
  
"Kate!" She yelled, getting closer to them. "I want to talk to you!"  
  
When Kate looked into her eyes, she had to admit to herself that she was a bit nervous. Gwen looked livid. She must be angry about Little Ethan. "Who the HELL do you think you are, Kate Crane?" She asked, her eyes fixed on her. "You take away my children, my husband's job? You blackmail my mother, and you expect to get away with it? I'm not going to let you, not this time." She lifted her hand, and Kate was horrified to see she was holding a gun. "I'm going to make you pay for all the pain you have caused me."  
  
"Gwen, you, you don't want to do this. Just calm down, we can talk about this." Kate said, trying to soothe her. Hank tightened his grip on her waist. "Gwen, just put the gun down, and I'll go and get Ethan, or your mother, but you have to put the gun down.  
  
Gwen looked at her like she was crazy. "Why should I listen to you? You have done nothing but hurt me. You have ruined my life. If I don't have any children, Ethan will leave. You took them away from me! You have to pay for what you have done to me!"  
  
"Gwen, no, please, listen to me..." Kate's voice trailed off as she stared into the muzzle of the gun.  
  
BANG!!! 


	21. The Nightmare Continues

I do not own Passions; the only thing I own in this whole story is Kate.  
  
Chapter 21- The Nightmare Continues...  
  
Kate sat in the waiting room, staring blankly at the wall. Images of what had happened flashed through her mind.  
  
"Gwen you don't want to do this, Gwen, please, just put down the gun..."  
  
"I'm not listening to you. You ruined my life; I have to make you pay!" Gwen had screamed at her.  
  
She heard the click, and Hank had pulled her close to his chest, turning his back to Gwen.  
  
BANG!  
  
Kate jumped as the memory of the shot rang through her head.  
  
Hank had gone limp, falling to the ground. Kate had screamed, looking at the hole in his back, and frantically searched the ground for her cell phone. She had had it in her hand when Gwen had come up to them, but she dropped it when she had seen the gun. Finally, her fingers closed around it, she quickly dialed 911, and screamed for help. No one was home in the house, or else, they couldn't hear her. She was all alone, with Hank, who was bleeding profusely from the bullet hole in his back. Kate pulled her sweater off and bunched it up, applying pressure to the wound.  
  
Kate frantically searched for a pulse, it was weak. She didn't know what to do. She had started to panic when she heard the sirens coming up the hill. She yelled to the paramedics, and they rushed over.  
  
She watched as they had worked on him, and then silently put him into the ambulance. "Kate!" She had heard someone call; she turned around, panicking, thinking for a moment that it was Gwen there to finish the job. She was slightly relieved to see her aunt, Sheridan, running over, followed by a man she could only assume was one of Theresa's brothers. "What happened?" Sheridan had asked her.  
  
Kate could barely speak, she finally found the words, and said softly, "She shot him." She looked down at her hands, which were covered in his blood.  
  
Kate remembered the ride to the hospital, Sheridan had driven her here. Kate had been sitting here for what seemed like forever, alone. She couldn't help but notice the irony in this whole situation. She had searched her whole life for someone like Hank, and now that she had found him, she was going to lose him.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Fox had gotten a call earlier in the day from his best friend, Dylan Banning, telling him that he and Audrey Garrison-Grey had just landed, and needed a ride. After trying to reach Kate with no luck, he had called Theresa, and they had headed towards the airport to pick them up.  
  
After they were all back in the car, Theresa pulled out her phone.  
  
"Theresa, what are you doing?"  
  
She looked up, and looked at her boyfriend. "I'm calling your sister. I want to thank her for sending Little Ethan back to me." She dialed the phone. After a few rings, Kate answered.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Kate, what's wrong?" Theresa asked, waving Fox over to the phone.  
  
"She shot him, she shot him." Kate said over and over into the phone.  
  
"What?" Theresa asked, "Who shot who?"  
  
Audrey gave a frightened gasp from the back seat.  
  
Fox took the phone out of her hand. "Meg, where are you?" He asked her, afraid for her safety.  
  
"I think I'm at the hospital. I don't know, they took him away..." Her voice trailed off. "She shot him, she shot him, she shot him."  
  
"We're on our way. Stay right where you are. Don't leave." He told his sister.  
  
"Fox, what is going on?" Dylan asked, as Fox turned the car around and started speeding down the road. "What happened?"  
  
"I don't know, but I need to get to her." Fox answered, as they got into his car. "I don't know what happened. She just kept saying 'she shot him,' over and over."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Sam Bennett got a call from dispatch saying that there was a shooting at the Crane Mansion. He decided to take this one himself, since the Cranes were very difficult to deal with, especially when arresting someone. He called to one of his deputies to come with him, and they headed out the door. Turning on the sirens, they drove to the hospital.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kate looked down at her hands. They were clean now; a nurse had helped her wash them. She turned them over; the blood was all gone, like it was never there.  
  
She could hear people running down the hall, not that she cared. Kate felt numb, as though someone had given her something.  
  
"Meg, what happened?" She heard someone say. Looking up, her brother's concerned face filled her view. She felt arms around her, and heard voices whispering. Kate looked around the room. She saw a lot of people staring at her.  
  
"She shot him." Was all she could say. Fox put his arms around her. "She shot him."  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Hello, we got a call that someone was brought here with a gunshot wound from the Crane Estate?" Sam told the receptionist at the desk.  
  
"Yes, he was brought her a little while ago, he is still in surgery. He lost a lot of blood." The receptionist informed him. There was a woman with him, she is in the waiting room, down the hall, third door on your left."  
  
"Thank you." He said, walking down the hallway.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Sheridan was outside the hospital, talking to Ethan. "I think you should come down here. She is really shaken. I don't think she can face what happened to her, all she can say is 'She shot him' over and over."  
  
Ethan understood. "We'll be right there." He hung up the phone. "Gwen?" He called up the stairs. "Are you up there?"  
  
She opened the door to their bedroom. "I'm right here, darling." She said calmly. She felt calm, for the first time today. She had won. Kate must be dead, she thought, he must be here to tell me that.  
  
"We have to get to the hospital. Someone has been shot." Without another word, he led her out of the house.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Sam walked into the crowded room. "What happened?" He asked the group.  
  
Sheridan was the first to speak. "Didn't they tell you?"  
  
"Tell me what?" He asked.  
  
"Your brother was shot." Sheridan told him.  
  
"What?!?" Sam said, completely floored. What was Hank doing there? He asked himself. "That's impossible. He couldn't have been there."  
  
"Chief Bennett," Sheridan continued, lowering her voice, "He was with my niece at the time." She indicated to Kate, who was still staring blankly at the floor. Sam recognized her as the girl he had seen Hank with a few weeks ago.  
  
"I don't believe this." He said. He composed himself a few minutes later. He needed to find out what happened. He needed to do this for Hank. "Miss Crane?" He turned to Kate. "I need to ask you a few questions, alright?"  
  
Kate didn't respond. She couldn't make the words come out.  
  
"Miss Crane? Can you hear me?"  
  
Fox held up his hand. "Chief Bennett, I don't think this is the time. She can't do this now."  
  
Chief Bennett narrowed his eyes. "Why, did she shoot my brother? What does she have to hide that you don't want me to find out?"  
  
Fox jumped up. Dylan, knowing what was about to happen, leapt in front of him. "Fox, don't do this. Kate needs you, you can't go to jail now."  
  
Fox sat back down next to his twin. "Don't you ever accuse my sister of harming anyone again. She would never be able to shoot anyone."  
  
Audrey nodded. "A few years ago, one of our friends families held a hunt, and Kate refused to attend, because there were going to be guns around. Kate was afraid that one would go off and shoot someone."  
  
"Miss Crane, what happened?" Sam asked her again. This time she looked up.  
  
"She shot him." She said again, looking into his eyes. He could see the horror that haunted her. It was written all over her face.  
  
"Who shot him?" He asked her. He received no answer to his question.  
  
"What is going on here?" A voice asked. Sam turned around to see his son, Ethan standing in the door way, his wife Gwen behind him? 


	22. I Can't Lose Him

I do not own Passions; all I own is Kate Crane.  
  
Author's Note- I just wanted to thank the people who read and reviewed my story. It means a lot that you all have taken the time to do so. Please keep it up!  
  
Chapter 22- I can't lose him  
  
Kate still couldn't speak, she couldn't think. She just kept seeing the images of the horrific night play over and over in her head.  
  
Then she heard a sound that snapped her back into reality.  
  
"Chief Bennett, what happened?" Gwen asked.  
  
Kate looked up at her, not really believing that she was there. But she was.  
  
Fox felt Kate stiffen. She was no longer in a trance like state, her eyes on the floor, she was staring at Gwen.  
  
Before he could stop her, she had flown off the bench she was sitting on, and was on top of Gwen, attacking her, hitting her as hard as she could.  
  
By the time Dylan and Fox pulled Kate off of Gwen, Kate was screaming at her, and Gwen was staring at her like she had seen a ghost.  
  
"Why! Why did you do it? Why did you do this to him?" Kate screamed, fighting against Fox and Dylan as they struggled to hold her back. Ethan and Sam helped Gwen up from the floor. She was white as a sheet, and looked at Kate as though astonished that she was there.  
  
"Calm down!" Fox told her, but his advice fell on deaf ears. Kate continued screaming at her, everyone in the room was quiet, and watching what was going on.  
  
"What the hell?!" Sam asked. The woman had been sitting on the bench one minute ago, barely able to respond to simple questions, and now she was going crazy. He had never seen a display like this.  
  
"It was her! She did this! She wanted me, but she got him!" Kate continued to yell. "She told me that it was all my fault, I had ruined her life, and that she had to get me back. She shot him! She shot him!" Kate fought to be freed, to attack Gwen, to make her sorry for what she had stolen from her.  
  
The whole room gasped. "She's lying! Why would I shoot Hank? I don't have anything against him, I like him." Gwen protested, backing away from the crowd.  
  
By now, Kate was sobbing. She had stopped fighting, and Fox and Dylan were supporting her, for she could barely stand.  
  
"Gwen, where were you tonight?" Sam asked his daughter in law.  
  
"I was at the mansion; I was reading a book in my room all night." Gwen said.  
  
Sheridan looked over at her. "How did you not hear Kate screaming? I was in the cottage and I heard her, you were in the mansion a lot closer to her, why didn't you come out to see what was going on?"  
  
Sam had had enough of this. "Gwen Winthrop, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Hank Bennett. You have the right to remain silent. If you choose to waive that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law... Sam continued, as the deputy cuffed and led Gwen out of the room and down the hall.  
  
Fox and Dylan took Kate back over to the bench. Audrey and Theresa came over to her. They had never seen her like this. She was really losing it, breaking down completely.  
  
"Kate, honey, we don't know what happened. He could still be alright." Audrey tried to reassure her. "I'm sure he will be alright."  
  
"You don't know that, it's all my fault. She wanted me, he was protecting me." Kate continued to sob.  
  
"Excuse me?" A timid voice called into the room. "I am Dr. Miller; I was working on Officer Bennett. I was told his brother was here?"  
  
Sheridan answered first. "He had to leave. He should be somewhere in the hall."  
  
The doctor left the room. Kate had stopped crying. "I have to see him, I have to know." She stood up and headed to the door.  
  
She looked down the hall, trying to read the police chief's response, but he turned, and she could no longer see his face. Kate saw him shake the doctor's hand and turn around. They locked eyes for a moment, and Kate gripped the door frame, fearing what he might tell her.  
  
"He is okay." Sam said to her. She felt relief rush over her. "He is stable. Do you want to see him?" He asked her.  
  
Kate just hugged him. "Of course I do."  
  
He gave her a reassuring smile, and led her down the hall to Hank's room. "Wait here." He instructed her. She nodded, and watched him disappear through the door.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hank was lying on the hospital bed, his face ashen. He was hooked up to a machine that beeped every few seconds. His eyes had been closed, but when he sensed there was someone else in the room, he opened them.  
  
"Hey." Sam said to his younger brother. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Is she okay?" Hank asked him, ignoring his question.  
  
"Kate is fine. You saved her life."  
  
"It was Gwen, she was crazy, ranting at Kate about how she had ruined her life." Hank started to explain. It hurt to talk.  
  
"We know. Kate told us the same thing." Sam said.  
  
"Where is she? Can I see her?"  
  
"Of course, little brother." Sam told him. "I'll be right back."  
  
He opened the door, and Kate walked inside. It was obvious that she had been crying. She rushed over to him once she saw him. Kate wanted to hug him, but was afraid that she would hurt him more.  
  
"I was so scared, I thought you were..." She trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.  
  
"I'm going to be fine." Hank told her, bringing his hand to touch her cheek. "I'm not going to leave you, not again."  
  
Kate smiled at him, and kissed the back of his hand. "You better not." She leaned over and kissed him. "I can't lose you.  
  
"You never will. I love you Kate." Hank told her.  
  
Kate looked at him and smiled. "I love you too." 


	23. It's Not Over Yet

I do not own Passions.  
  
Author's Note- Sorry for the delay, I have been dealing with midterms all week, so I haven't had a chance to really sit down and write another chapter. I wanted to take a quick second to thank ASPIRING ACTRESS and anon021 for their comments, they really meant a lot. Now, on with the story!  
  
Chapter 23- It's not over yet  
  
Gwen Winthrop sat in the cold, drab cell at the police station. She was still astonished that Kate was alive. Once she pulled the trigger, she had gone back into the mansion. She hadn't surveyed the damage she had inflicted, she had been so sure that she had killed Kate.  
  
"Why don't people understand that I had to do what I did?" Gwen whispered to the empty cell. "Why don't people understand that Kate deserved to die? She was making my life Hell; I had to make her sorry for taking my children!"  
  
Gwen's eyes filled with tears. "Now Ethan is going to go back to Theresa, and forget all about me!" She slammed her fist on the bench she was sitting on. "I can't let that happen! I need to get out of here!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kate was going to take the day off from work to stay with Hank, but he had objected immediately. "You can't just stay here all night and day." He had told her. "I'm going to be fine, you need to go." She had relented, but had promised to return as soon as she could.  
  
The work day had dragged on and on, the clocks seemed to be going backwards at times. Finally, it was five o'clock, and she flew out of the building like a bat out of hell. She hadn't been able to concentrate on anything all day, her mind had been with Hank, and now, she would be too.  
  
Stopping at the florist a few minutes from the hospital, she picked out a nice arrangement of flowers for his room. Kate thought they would brighten up his room a bit while he was there.  
  
When she walked into the room, she realized that she had not been the only one to have thought so. There were dozens of bouquets, cards and balloons crammed into the small space. Raising an eyebrow, she removed a vase full of red roses from the table next to the bed, replacing it with her own flowers.  
  
"How are you doing?" She asked Hank, after she kissed him. She pulled the little card off of one of the bouquets, reading it to herself. She raised an eyebrow when she finished, for it was obviously form an old girlfriend, named Pam.  
  
"Bored." Hank responded, noticing her expression. He had been getting visitors all day, mostly women whom he had previously dated, if you could call it that. "They said that I will be here for at least a week, maybe more."  
  
Kate wasn't listening anymore. She had plucked another little envelope off a potted orchid, from a girl named Debbi, which read much like Pam's card had. "I see you have made quite a few 'friends' in this town." Kate said, removing another card from Joy.  
  
Hank grinned. "Are you jealous?" He asked her, enjoying himself immensely as he watched her walk around his room, growing more and more jealous as she read each card.  
  
"No," Kate said, not very convincingly. "I am astonished at what some people will put on a card, however. Some of these things... well, lets just say that I have no intention of letting Lanah anywhere near you."  
  
"Oh, really? And how do you plan on doing that?" He asked her as she sat on the edge of his bed. Kate smiled at him, and leaned over him, kissing him very softly on the lips.  
  
"A few things do come to mind." She said seductively, running her fingers lightly over his chest. "But first, I think I need to make some more room in here." She pressed the little button on the side of his bed. A nurse walked in a few minutes later.  
  
"Hi, we would like for you to have some of these flowers given to some of the other patients." Kate instructed. "There are just so many, I'm sure they could help to brighten up someone else's stay in this place."  
  
The nurse nodded, and within ten minutes, three volunteers had removed many of the arrangements from the room. "That's much better." Kate said, returning to her perch on his bedside. "Now, where were we?"  
  
"Right about here." Hank smiled, as Kate leaned in to kiss him once more.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Pookie, I will not let my Gwennie rot in some jail cell for another second!" Rebecca screeched. She had been trying to get Julian to have Gwen released from police custody all day. "She shouldn't be there!"  
  
Julian looked at her with disgust. "Are you joking?" He asked her, gulping down his scotch. "She shot at my daughter, and she would have killed her, if it that cop hadn't saved her!"  
  
"She was upset. She lost little Ethan, and she was a bit angry." Rebecca huffed, frustrated that she wasn't getting her way.  
  
"A bit angry?" Julian shot back, filling his glass with more scotch. "If that was a bit angry, I would hate to see her furious!"  
  
"Julian, if you don't get her out of jail, I will tell everyone about you and Eve!" Rebecca threatened.  
  
Julian looked at her. "Don't you dare!" He hissed, furious at her suggestion. "Alright, I will see what I can do, but I can't make any promises, after all, your daughter did attempt to murder mine."  
  
Rebecca smiled, she had won. "Don't try, Pookie, do. I want my Gwennie out of there immediately. She needs to be here with her family, with her husband. We have to make sure that Terrorcita doesn't steal Ethan away from her." She swept out of the room, closing the door with a slam.  
  
Julian sighed, and sank down into his desk chair. He knew it was wrong to do this, but he had no choice. He had to protect Eve.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kate and Hank were still making out an hour later when Sam knocked on the door. "Hey!" Hank greeted his brother as he walked into the room. Then he noticed the grim expression he had on his face. "What's wrong?" He asked his brother, getting worried.  
  
Sam looked at the couple, not sure of how to tell them. "I have some bad news. We were forced to let Gwen Winthrop out of jail. Insufficient evidence."  
  
Kate looked at him, her eyes horrified at the news. "How is that possible? You have two eyewitnesses. How did this happen?"  
  
Sam hung his head. "All I know, is that I got a call this afternoon, and I was told to let her go, that the statements you two made were no longer enough to hold her."  
  
"What am I going to do? What if she comes after me again?" Kate asked.  
  
"I don't know. My hands are tied." Sam told her. "I wish there was something I could do."  
  
Hank squeezed Kate's hand. "There has to be something we can do. What about a restraining order?" He asked his brother.  
  
Sam looked hopeful. "That could work, but we can't do anything until the morning. The courthouse has been closed for hours."  
  
Kate jumped up. She pulled her purse off the chair in the corner, and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed quickly, and listened to the rings. Finally someone answered. "Grandfather, I need a judge to issue me an order of protection. Someone got Gwen Winthrop out of jail."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Julian was still drowning his sorrows in his study when Alistair Crane strode in. "Julian, why was Gwen Winthrop released from jail today? I didn't think even you were that much of an imbecile!"  
  
Julian sat up in his chair slowly. "Father, you don't understand the whole story." He slurred, trying to stand. "Rebecca is my wife, and she wanted her daughter out of jail, and she wouldn't take no for an answer, and she threatened Eve, what was I supposed to do?" He asked his father before slumping back down in his chair, putting his head down.  
  
Alistair slammed his fist against the desk. Julian winced, and looked up. Through bleary eyes, he saw the fury in his father's face. "Damn it, Julian, you let an insane woman who nearly killed my granddaughter out of prison because of that whore that you are still hung up on?!?! I knew I should have taken care of her long ago."  
  
Julian slowly got to his unsteady feet. "Now you listen here, father- "He began.  
  
"Julian, if anything happens to Kate, I will personally make sure that you and your precious Dr. Eve pay dearly. So if I were you, I would make sure that I took every precaution to ensure her safety."  
  
Julian was still trying to respond when the door slammed for the second time that night.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Alistair arrived at the hospital at midnight. When he entered Hank Bennett's hospital room, Kate rushed over to him. He could tell she was trying to contain her panic. "Grandfather, why was Gwen released from jail? How could this have happened?" She asked, fear in her eyes.  
  
"Not to worry, my dear. I am taking care of the situation." Alistair reassured her. "As we speak, a restraining order is being issued for Gwen. She will not be permitted back on the estate, or on any other Crane properties."  
  
"But Grandfather, I don't understand why she was released." Kate repeated.  
  
"That was your father's doing." Alistair grimaced. "I trust by now you have found out about his little secret? That is why this is happening. He was stupid enough to let someone find his weakness, and now he is being controlled by them."  
  
"Are you telling me that my father did this to me?" Kate looked astonished. "This has to be a mistake, this can't be true!"  
  
"I'm afraid that it is, my dear." He stated simply. "I must go now. Do not worry. I am taking care of this problem myself. If Gwen harms you in any way, she will pay dearly, as will your father."  
  
She watched him walk down the hall, and reentered the hospital room. Hank looked at her. "What's going on?" He asked her. "What did he say?"  
  
Kate sighed and sat down on the bed. "Grandfather told me he is taking care of everything, but I don't know." She told him. Hank took her hand. "I still don't feel very safe with her walking around, even if she isn't allowed anywhere near me, the mansion, or any other property that my family owns."  
  
Hank kissed her. "Everything will be fine. I won't let anything happen to you." She smiled weakly.  
  
"I know, but I'm still scared." She confessed. "I can't believe my father was responsible for this nightmare continuing."  
  
Hank looked at her, a confused look on his face. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"My father ordered that Gwen be released." She explained. 


	24. I'm Serious

I do not own Passions.  
  
Chapter 24- I'm Serious  
  
Dylan and Audrey had been lying low for the last few days. They had been staying at the Crane mansion, but there had been so much tension building up in there since they arrived on the night of the shooting, they didn't quite know what to do with themselves.  
  
Audrey sighed. She was sitting on the chaise in the lounge, reading a magazine. Dylan, who was sprawled on the couch across from her, planning the itinerary for his next trip to South America on his Blackberry, looked up at her.  
  
"I'm bored." She sighed again. "Who knew that this town would be so... boring."  
  
Dylan nodded. "I would have thought that this place was a lot more fun, considering that both Fox and Kate have decided to live here." He knew why Fox was here. He had seen that tasty little girlfriend of his. Dylan didn't voice this out loud of course, he was almost certain that Audrey still harbored feelings for Fox, even though he had obviously moved on. He glanced over at Audrey, and couldn't help but notice that she looked especially hot today, in that black leather miniskirt and low cut white shirt.  
  
Audrey agreed with him. She could definitely see why Kate was choosing to live here, rather than London. Harmony, while lacking in nightlife, decent shopping, and excitement, had one thing that all of Europe couldn't offer: that yummy cop, Hank Bennett. She didn't want to say anything to Dylan, she was afraid that he was still hung up on Kate, since they had been quite an item at St. Andrews years ago. She suspected that she was the reason he had turned into such a playboy. Kate was the last serious girlfriend Dylan had had. Audrey wished that he would pay attention to her. When he had come to visit her in Greece last week, she had noticed that he was definitely looking good these days.  
  
"What do you say that we go for a drive," Dylan suggested, standing up. "We need to get out of here."  
  
Audrey nodded, and accepted the arm extended to her willingly. "Where do you think we should go?" She asked him.  
  
"I heard about this great little place not too far from here." He told her, leading her out of the room.  
  
Dr. Eve Russell strode confidently through the halls of the hospital. She was in an especially good mood, Liz had been ill the last few days, and had been too miserable herself to ruin her sister's mood. So Eve smiled, going in and out of rooms and cubicles to check on patients.  
  
After lunch, she went back to her office. She noticed that there was someone sitting in her chair, facing away from her. She smirked, thinking it was either her husband, T.C., or Julian, her first love. As much as she loved her husband and family, being persued by the rich and powerful Crane made her feel desirable, naughty even. Plus, she needed to find her son.  
  
"Hello, there," She said in a sultry, low tone. "Here for a check up?" She asked, trying her hardest to sound sexy. It was a little awkward; she hadn't acted this way in over twenty years.  
  
The person in the chair slowly swiveled it around. When Eve realized who it was she gasped. She would have never expected to see that person in her office. "H-h-h-how did you get in here?" She asked in a shaky voice.  
  
"Hello, Dr. Russell."  
  
Fox took the elevator up to the top floor of Crane Industries. He had been summoned to his Grandfather's office early this morning. As he waited to reach his destination, he couldn't help but wonder why he was here. He didn't remember doing anything that would warrant a face to face scolding from his Grandfather.  
  
Finally, the doors opened, and he walked down to the end of the hall. He knocked on the door, and after hearing a stern, "Come in," from within, he entered the office, and sat in one of the chairs opposite his Grandfather's desk.  
  
"Nice to see you again, Fox." Alistair greeted him.  
  
"Yeah, you too. Why did you want to see me?" He asked, wanting to get this meeting over with.  
  
"Fox, you always seem so impatient for someone with nothing to do." Alistair stated. "I want to change that. You are going to join the family business."  
  
Fox stared at him, stunned. "What?" He asked.  
  
Alistair laughed. "I have an opening that I think will suit you well. If you accept, you can start tomorrow."  
  
"I guess so." Fox said, finally understanding what was going on. "Is this the job I think it is?" He asked.  
  
"How did you get in here?" Eve repeated.  
  
Kate smiled and stood up. "You would be amazed at how many doors open when you have Crane as a last name. It opened yours very easily."  
  
"Why are you here?" Eve asked. She had never met the girl before, but she knew who she was. She didn't know what she was doing in her office, but she had a very bad feeling.  
  
"I wanted to give you a message." Kate answered simply, calmly walking around the desk.  
  
"What message?" Eve asked, trying not to let the nervous feeling creep into her voice. She didn't know much about the woman in front of her, but even she knew that Kate had a hobby of making other people miserable.  
  
Originally, Kate had had no intention of hurting the woman in front of her, she had met her daughter Whitney briefly, and didn't want to hurt her, or her father or sister. However, when her father had allowed Gwen to be released from custody to protect the good doctor, Kate had thrown that plan out the window. She was going to go after them both with everything she had.  
  
"I wanted to tell you in person," Kate started, standing very close to Eve, "to stay away from my father."  
  
Eve couldn't help but laugh. "What are you talking about?" She asked.  
  
"I know."  
  
Eve stiffened. How did everyone keep finding out about her past?  
  
Kate didn't wait for her to respond before she continued. "I have proof. A surveillance tape."  
  
Eve whirled around. "I don't know what you are talking about."  
  
"Oh, I think you do. And unless you want your sordid past to end up on the front page of every newspaper in the country, I suggest that you take my advice. Stay away from my father, or I will make sure that everyone in the world finds out about you two."  
  
Eve slowly sank down in her chair. "Why are you doing this to us?"  
  
"You seem to think that people can change, that my father can change. Well, you're wrong. Do you think that my father loves you? Do you think that anyone who loved you would keep going after you like he does? He only thinks of you as a conquest. He can recapture his long lost youth with you."  
  
"That's not true!" Eve said, her voice rising slightly.  
  
"And you, Dr. Russell. You have absolutely no respect for anyone. If you respected your husband and daughters at all, we wouldn't be having this conversation."  
  
Eve said nothing, she knew she had no defense.  
  
Kate leaned over the desk, her face inches away from Dr. Russell's. "I repeat, so it hopefully sinks into your thick skull. Stay away from my father, or I will make sure that you lose everything."  
  
She turned her heel, walking over to the door. Turning, she looked back. "And if that isn't enough of an incentive, then I will also help my grandfather to bury all records of your long lost child." Eve looked up at her, a horrified look on her face.  
  
"Good day, Dr. Russell, I hope that we never meet again. Because if we do, I guarantee that it will not be a pleasant experience like this one." Eve watched helplessly as Kate swept out the door.  
  
Dylan and Audrey laughed as they walked out of the restaurant. "I thought you said nearby, Dylan!" Audrey said, hitting his arm lightly.  
  
Dylan smirked. "This is nearby Aud!"  
  
"Dylan, Boston is not nearby!"  
  
"Yes it is!"  
  
"It's in another state!"  
  
"Same region though."  
  
Audrey nodded, relenting. "What do we do now?" She asked him.  
  
"I'm not sure. Get a room?" Dylan raised his eyebrows suggestively.  
  
Audrey swatted at his arm again. _Was he being serious?_ She asked herself. _I wish he was, cause I would definitely consider it.  
_  
"Would you be serious for once?"  
  
"What makes you so sure that I wasn't serious?" He asked her.  
  
Audrey stopped walking. She looked up at him, staring into his eyes. "Were you serious?" She said.  
  
Dylan looked into her green eyes. Audrey really was beautiful. He brushed an auburn ringlet off of her face, his hand lingering on her pale cheek. After what seemed like forever to Audrey, he dipped his head down, and their lips met.  
  
When they broke apart, Dylan slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, I was serious."  
  
Author's Note- What do you think? Like it, hate it? Do I suck? Please tell me all your thoughts on my story! (Should Dylan and Audrey stick around, or should I write them out in the upcoming chapter?) Tell me, don't leave me in this suspense! 


	25. Never Cross Kate

I do not own Passions, or any of the characters on the show, but I would pay good money to anyone who could tell me how to purchase any of the fine male specimens that grace my television screen week after week!  
  
Author's Note- I profusely apologize for making all of you wait so long for this chapter, I have been dealing with midterms and spring break, and have had no time. Here it is, and again I am so sorry for the delay!  
  
Chapter 25- Never Cross Kate  
  
Julian was drunk, as usual, when his daughter, Kate, burst through the door to his study. He looked up at her with watery eyes, and saw the rage etched into her face. She slammed the door, and walked angrily over to his desk. Pulling his chair, she turned him around, so he was facing her.  
  
"What the hell do you think you are doing, Father?" She yelled, her voice barely containing her seething anger. "I always knew that you didn't love me, but I never thought that you hated me enough to let the woman who tried to kill me out of jail go free!"  
  
Julian started to protest, but Kate raged on, cutting him off. "If you were going to tell me the sob story about you and Dr. Eve, forget it. I don't want to hear it." Kate leaned over him, inches away from his face. She was disgusted by the smell of alcohol emanating from her so-called father. "I came here to give you a little warning, Father."  
  
Julian looked into her eyes, full of anger and pain. "What is your warning?" He asked slowly, partly because of drinking all night, and also, trying to figure out why there was so much pain in her eyes.  
  
Kate's blue eyes flashed, the anguish that had been in them a second ago gone, replaced with ice. "I came here to tell you that I know all your little secrets, ALL of them, I know about Dr. Russell, and I know about what you and your little Beckie poo did down in Bermuda. I know a whole lot more, too."  
  
Julian sat up, the realization sobering him a little. "How?" He asked.  
  
"Never mind how, Father, you have other, more important things you need to worry about." Kate stated, looking at the blithering, drunken mess slumped before her.  
  
"What things?"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Theresa woke up the next morning, at peace for the first time in months. She looked over at Fox, who was sleeping peacefully beside her, his arm around her. Her son was just down the hall. Life couldn't get much better than this.  
  
Fox stirred, knowing that someone was watching him. When he opened his eyes, Theresa's beautiful face filled his line of vision. "Good morning." He said, pulling her closer to him.  
  
Theresa giggled as Fox left a trail of soft kisses across her collarbone, and up her neck. She buried her fingers into his hair as he moved on top of her. "I think this is going to be a very good morning." She said, before he kissed her. Theresa couldn't help but think, could life get any better than this?  
  
~*~*~  
  
"What things?" Julian asked again.  
  
"I think you should start thinking about where your priorities lie, Father." Kate blared. "You need to think about what you are doing to innocent people."  
  
Julian tried to stand. "I don't try to hurt people Kate. It just happens sometimes."  
  
Kate's eyes flashed again. "It just happens?" She said, in disbelief. "You letting Rebecca and Gwen take Little Ethan away from Theresa just happened? You don't mean it when you try to tear the Russell family apart?"  
  
Julian held up an unsteady hand to make her stop. "I know what I am doing, and I know what I have done in the past. I certainly don't need you to tell me how horrible a person I am."  
  
"Father, that is exactly what you need. You need someone to hold a mirror up to you. You need someone to tell you to go to hell!" Kate yelled. "You, Father, are responsible for so much misery and heartache, yet you seem to think that you don't deserve any of the pain that you are getting. How dare you think that you deserve love after the way that you have treated me, Fox, Lizzie, and Lexie? You shipped us off to boarding school, and forgot about us all! You deserve a whole lot more pain than I ever felt!"  
  
Julian let the word sink in. "I know I was never a very good father, Kate, but-"  
  
Kate interrupted him again. "You're damn right you weren't a very good father! Think about that the next time you go searching for your long lost bastard with Eve! Wherever that baby ended up, it was better off than with you two! You had five children, and you never loved any of us. And your precious Doctor! What kind of a person would even think of causing her family the kind of pain that she is inflicting on hers?"  
  
Julian was angry now. He felt the full force of her words. He knew what she said was right. Kate kept going. "I want you to know, that if you continue to see your precious Dr. Russell, I will make sure that both of you feel a lifetime of pain! She will be humiliated when your sordid affair ends up on the front page of every scandal sheet in the world! I will make sure that you are blamed for it, too, so she will hate you, and never want to see you again. Stay away from Eve, Father, if you want to remain among the living, since we all know that once T.C. finds out about you, he will kill you."  
  
Kate angrily walked over to the door, and turned around. "I mean it Father, don't cross me. If you do, I will bury you. I will hurt you in ways that you can't even imagine."  
  
Julian winced as she slammed the door. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't stay away from Eve, but if Kate caught them, he had no doubt about her abilities to make him pay. He would have to figure something out.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kate had calmed down considerably since her confrontation with her father. She walked into the hospital, happy that she was going to see Hank. Kate stepped out of the elevator, and down the hall to his room, she was just outside the door when she heard a high, feminine laugh come from inside.  
  
Kate slowly walked into the room, surveying the girl that sat beside her boyfriend. She was tall, thin, with long dark hair. She was sort of pretty, in that small town way. Hank and the girl looked up at her. The brunette had a confused look on her face, and asked, "Who are you?"  
  
Kate crossed her arms, looking down at her. "The girlfriend. Who are you?"  
  
The girl laughed, standing up, tossing her long brown hair over her shoulder. "I'm Kay, Hank's niece."  
  
Kate relaxed, she had thought the worst. "It's nice to meet you, Kay. I'm Kate." She said, extending her hand. Kay shook it, and picked up her coat.  
  
"I have to get going. Maria has had a cold, and I need to relieve Miguel so he can study for his test." Kay explained, as she put her coat on. "It was nice to meet you, Kate. Take care of my uncle, okay?"  
  
Hank rolled his eyes. "I'm fine. Why don't you get that? The bullet didn't puncture anything, and I have no infections, and the doctors are going to release me tomorrow! I can take care of myself."  
  
The girls exchanged a look. Both knew he was not going to admit that he needed help, let alone that he was in pain.  
  
Kay left the room and Kate walked around the bed and sat in the chair that Kay had occupied earlier. Hank leaned over and kissed her. She felt herself relax completely, the way she always did when he kissed her. He made her feel so alive, so loved.  
  
He smiled at her. "When are you going to get that I love you, and only you?" He asked.  
  
Kate stiffened slightly. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"I saw the way you looked at Kay."  
  
Kate looked down at her shoes. "Was I that obvious?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She looked into his eyes. "It's not you, it's me. I think I might have trust issues."  
  
Hank laughed. "You think?"  
  
Kate hit his arm playfully. "I guess that after reading all of those cards you got, I realized that I might have some competition in this town."  
  
Hank stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "But you don't seem to understand. I never cared about any of them in the way that I care about you. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone, Kate Crane."  
  
She smiled. "I feel the exact same way. I love you more than anyone else, Hank Bennett. I have always wanted someone to love me, and now that I found you, I never want to lose you. But you have to know one thing."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Don't mess with me. If this is just some fling, or some May December romance for you, tell me now. If you do hurt me, I will cause you a whole lot of pain. Trust me, I am not someone you want to tangle with."  
  
Hank looked at her. "I don't want to hurt you, but I can't promise that I won't. I will try my hardest not to, but you never know what will happen, Kate."  
  
"I know, I just don't want to get hurt again." Kate said so softly, Hank barely heard her.  
  
"What do you mean, again?" He asked her.  
  
Kate turned away, not wanting to say any more.  
  
"Who hurt you?"  
  
Kate stood up, and pacing around the room. "I don't want to talk about this." She said, growing upset. How did this conversation start?  
  
Hank was not about to let this go. "Who hurt you, Kate?" He asked her again, wanting to get to the bottom of this. If he and Kate were going to work out, she was going to have to trust him.  
  
Kate stopped pacing, and stood at the end of the bed. "Everyone." She replied simply. "My parents, Ethan, Fox, even you. Everyone in my life has hurt me."  
  
Hank stared at her, realizing for the first time that she wasn't as strong as she let everyone believe. She was holding all the agony of the neglect that her parents had given her, the abandonment she had felt ever since she was a little girl. She couldn't fully trust him because she didn't know how.  
  
Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill onto her cheeks. Hank slowly pulled back the sheets and got out of the hospital bed. Ignoring the pain in his back, he pulled Kate to him. The tears in her eyes finally fell, and she buried her face in his chest. She cried the tears she had been fighting for years. As Hank reassuringly stroked her long, blonde hair, and kissed the top of her head, he heart was full of hope. She might not trust him now, but if she could let herself cry like this, with him at her side, she might trust him soon. He just had to be patient. 


	26. Looking Back and Looking Forwards

I do not own Passions, or the website realtor.com. I did use it once for a math assignment in High School, which is how I found it.  
  
Author's Note: I changed the last paragraph of chapter 25. I wrote it at two o'clock in the morning, and when I read it over, I hated the way that I ended it! I changed it a later that day, but just in case you read it before then, I wanted to let you know. Read, enjoy, and review!  
  
Chapter 26- Looking Back and Looking Forward...  
  
Ethan walked aimlessly around the grounds of the mansion. He didn't know what to do with himself, since he usually was working at this time of day. He wondered where his life had gone so awry. Sitting against a tree at the edge of the woods, he pondered over the events that had happened over the past few years.  
  
What would my life be like if I had just married Theresa? What If I hadn't let my pride get in the way? Would I be happy?  
  
He knew the answers to all of those questions and all the others that floated through his mind every day. If he had married Theresa Lopez Fitzgerald when he had the chance, he would be living his dream.  
  
Ethan wished he had had the guts to take that leap of faith that she had begged him to take earlier that year. He wished that he hadn't taken the safe road by marrying Gwen. He had tried to convince himself that he loved Gwen more than Theresa, but deep inside, he knew different. He had known that fact when he proposed, while planning their wedding, even when he had said 'I do'.  
  
He remembered simpler times, before his life started to spin out of control. He had such a happy childhood here in this house, the Christmas', the birthdays, all filled with joy. When had everything gone so wrong?  
  
He already knew the answer to that question too. The day this downward spiral started was the day that stupid tabloid told the world he wasn't a Crane.  
  
Fox had just been settling into his new office on the fifteenth floor when there was a knock on the door, and his twin sister poked her head in. "What do think, little brother?" She asked, walking over to his desk and sitting down in his chair.  
  
Fox grinned at her as she began to spin in circles. "I must say, I didn't think that I was going to come back here to work after the last time, but you and Grandfather made me an offer that I couldn't refuse."  
  
Kate stopped spinning, digging her heels into the plush carpet. "It feels good to stick it to Ethan and make some cash at the same time, doesn't it?"  
  
"Yeah, it does." He replied, leaning on the edge of his desk. "Was this part of your master plan, or just something you did on a whim?"  
  
"Whim."  
  
"How did you think of it? It was brilliant, really."  
  
"Thank you." Kate said. "I thought so too. We have Mother to thank for it. She gave me the idea."  
  
Fox raised an eyebrow. "How did mother give you the idea? Why would she want you to fire Ethan and give his job to me?"  
  
"Well, to be more accurate, I guess that Theresa had a part in it too. That day that Mother came to see me, Theresa said something that sparked my epiphany."  
  
"And what, pre tell, did my lovely girlfriend say to do that?"  
  
"She made me realize that Ethan was the key to Mother's heart. To hurt Ethan is to hurt Mother."  
  
"Very intelligent. Use a pawn to get the queen." Fox laughed. "I love it."  
  
"I thought you would." Kate again stopped spinning, looking at him. "I have a question."  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"How serious are you about Theresa?"  
  
"I have to say, at first, I was only dating her to get over someone else, but then, I don't know. She is amazing, I really care about her. Maybe even love her. Why?"  
  
"Okay, I have a suggestion, and trust me, I know something that you don't, and won't quite yet. This is to everyone's advantage."  
  
Fox looked at Kate, confused. "What do you want me to do?"  
  
Theresa was coming back from the daycare center, where she had just spent her lunch hour with her son. She was so proud of him. They had been reading a book together, and he had only had trouble with a few words. Little Ethan was so smart, and she was lucky to have him back where he belonged, living with her.  
  
Theresa only wished that they weren't living in Chad and Whitney's apartment. She hoped that they wouldn't be there for very much longer; she knew that Whitney would never send her own godson out into the cold, but Theresa didn't want to be a burden on her anymore. Whitney and Chad had been kind enough to let her stay with them rent free after Rebecca had evicted her family from their home.  
  
But now, Theresa had a good job, and was making money. She sat down at her desk and pulled up an online real estate site. She was going to find another place to live, an apartment, maybe even a house, so Mama could come and live with them, and not have to live in the Bennett B & B.  
  
She was so absorbed in her search that she didn't even hear her office door open. Fox stood in the doorway, not wanting to disturb her. Whatever she was doing must be important, she had that determined look on her face. He wondered how long it would take before she realized he was there.  
  
Several minutes past, and Theresa hadn't found anything on that site. She sighed, getting ready to search for a new place to search, when she looked up, and saw Fox standing in the doorway.  
  
"Hi beautiful." He greeted her. Fox walked over to her, leaning in for a kiss.  
  
"How do you like being a part of the work force?"  
  
"There are some perks to the job."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Being near you, of course."  
  
Theresa smiled. "Good answer."  
  
Fox looked at her computer screen. "Why are you on realtor.com?"  
  
"If you must know, I'm trying to find a new place for Little Ethan and me to live. I can't impose on Chad and Whitney much longer, it wouldn't be right." She explained.  
  
Fox looked a little confused. "Why wouldn't it be right?" He asked her.  
  
"I moved in with them when I didn't have a job, or a home. I have a good job, thanks to your sister, and now I need to get a place to live. Whitney and Chad don't need a child living in the apartment."  
  
Fox grinned and pulled an envelope out of his pocket. "Maybe you should look at this before you go online again." He told Theresa, placing in her hands.  
  
She looked at him, and then opened the envelope. She pulled out several official looking documents, and gasped when she read a word appearing on one of them.  
  
He had just given her a deed.  
  
Not just any deed, she realized, but the deed to her mother's house, the one that Rebecca had stolen from her family. "How?" She asked in disbelief.  
  
"Kate got it back, I don't know how, but ours is not to question my sister." Fox explained with a grin. "She has her ways."  
  
Theresa scanned the paper, noticing that the deed was now put in her mother's name. She couldn't wait to go and tell Mama that they had gotten their home back. This was incredible.  
  
"Theresa, there's more." Fox said, indicating to the other papers on her desk. She picked up another document, and realized that it was another deed. She looked down at the owner's names, her eyes growing wide.  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Foxworth Crane were labeled as the owners.  
  
Hank was released from the hospital at noon that day. He had gone back to his apartment to shower and change. An hour later he was on his way over to Crane Industries, getting ready to surprise Kate. She thought that he was being released later on.  
  
Stepping out of the elevator, he walked down to the end of the hall to her office. Knocking on her door, he was barely inside when Kate threw her arms around him.  
  
"What are you doing here?" She asked, pausing to kiss him. "I thought you said you were getting out at seven."  
  
Hank grinned. "I got out early for good behavior," he joked. "I just had to see you; I missed you when you left last night."  
  
Kate smiled softly. "I missed you too."  
  
He kissed her forehead lightly. "Did I ever tell you how glad I am that you decided to give me another chance? I love spending time with you, I'm glad we're dating."  
  
Kate closed her eyes. Last night had been life altering for her. She had let herself cry in front of him. She never did things like that. It wasn't her style. Kate felt like Hank Bennett was taking a sledgehammer to the walls that she had built to guard her heart. There was only one thing she could do; she knew it was the right thing.  
  
"I don't want to date you." She said softly.  
  
"What?" Hank looked at her, startled by her revelation.  
  
"I said, I don't want to date you." 


	27. Bad News

I do not own Passions.  
  
Chapter 27- Bad News  
  
Rebecca hurried nervously through the doors of the Excelsior Spa, located just outside of Harmony. Her Gwennie had been staying there since the little incident. She had been so worried about her daughter, and wanted her back in the mansion, even though she knew that it wasn't possible. Alistair and Kate had taken care of that when they put a restraining order on her poor Gwen.  
  
Gwen was waiting for her in the lounge, wearing a white terry cloth robe, and light blue flip flops. Rebecca ran to her, and pulled her daughter into a hug.  
  
Gwen gave her mother a tight lipped smile. "Gwennie, how are you? Are they treating you alright?" Rebecca asked, her eyes full of concern. Gwen looked on edge, her eyes bloodshot, and she couldn't sit still.  
  
"Mother, I'm fine. I just wish that I could be home with you and Ethan." Gwen said, a worried look etched into her face. "How is he, Mother? How is Ethan? Does he understand why I had to do what I did?"  
  
Rebecca had to look away from her. She didn't want to have to tell her daughter this, but she was going to have to find out eventually, and she thought that it should come from her, and not someone else.  
  
"Mother, what is it?"  
  
Rebecca took Gwen's hand, and gave it a supportive squeeze. "I don't know how to tell you this Gwennie..." She trailed off, not sure how to break the news to her only daughter. This was awful. And all Kate and Theresa's faults, they had done this to her poor baby.  
  
"Is he alright? Did something happen to him?"  
  
Rebecca shook her head. "Nothing like that, he is fine. He is a little upset about the recent events, and isn't taking any of this very well."  
  
"What are you trying to say, Mother?" Gwen asked, her face stricken with panic.  
  
"Honey, Ethan filed for a divorce yesterday."  
  
"Darling, I must see you." Eve purred into the phone. "I hate that we have to be apart, can't you do anything?"  
  
Julian sighed. "I don't know, sweetheart. It is not a very good idea for us to be seen together, especially since my daughter has made it perfectly clear to me that I am to have nothing more to do with you."  
  
"Kate came to see me a few days ago, and made that same point perfectly clear." Eve told him. "But I don't care, I need you. We need to find our son. Soon."  
  
_ Wherever that baby ended up, it was better off than with you two!_ Kate's words flew through Julian's mind. Did he really want to find this baby? Was it fair to his son?  
  
"Julian, are you still there?" Eve's voice brought him out of his reverie. "You haven't said anything for five minutes. Are you coming to see me or not?" Eve was growing impatient. Usually, Julian would jump at the chance to be near her. Was he not interested in her anymore? Was Kate correct when she told her she was nothing but a conquest to recapture his long lost youth?  
  
"I'm sorry Eve, but I can't. I can't risk it."  
  
Eve's hopes fell. "Are you sure you can't?"  
  
Julian closed his eyes, trying to strengthen his resolve. "Yes. I can't see you today, or tomorrow, and maybe even the next day, and the day after that. We can't be seen together, under any circumstances. I don't think that we should call each other either. Who knows if Kate will check phone records? I wouldn't put it past her, and we need to play this very carefully. My daughter is extremely dangerous to us, and has Alistair behind her."  
  
Eve didn't say anything. She felt like her worst fears were being confirmed. Maybe she was just a passing fling, like she had been all those years ago.  
  
Author's Note- Did anyone watch today's episode? (3/30/04) I was so excited at first when I saw Ethan standing there when Rebecca and Gwen turned around, and I was so annoyed when he hadn't heard anything! I do however, think that maybe, just maybe, if they brought that up, that the truth behind the email to the tabloid will come out soon! What do you guys think? 


	28. The Best Is Yet To Come

I do not own Passions.  
  
Chapter 28- The Best Is Yet To Come  
  
Theresa looked up at Fox, too astonished to say anything. She tried to read his face, to figure out if this was real.  
  
"Well?" He asked her, getting a bit impatient. He wanted an answer, all she needed to say was one little three letter word, and he would be so happy. He had been a little taken aback when Kate had originally suggested proposing, but after thinking about it, he realized that this was something that he really wanted.  
  
"Is this what I think it is?" She asked him, hoping desperately that it wasn't some joke he was playing on her.  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
"I think that this is either the worst joke ever, or..." Theresa trailed off; staring back down at the names on the document she was still holding. Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Foxworth Crane. That would be her new name, if he was being serious.  
  
"Or what?"  
  
"Is this for real?" She asked him, trying to figure him out.  
  
Fox gave her one of his sly smiles. "Maybe this will help convince you." He said, pulling a tiny, blue velvet box out of his pocket. He handed it to her, and with trembling fingers, opened the lid to reveal a beautiful emerald cut diamond set in platinum. Her breathe caught in her throat as Fox removed the ring from the white satin padding that held it in place, ready to slip it on her finger. He stopped in mid air, still holding her left hand.  
  
"Aren't you going to say anything?" He asked her, getting a little nervous. What if she said no? He pushed that thought out of his mind, and looked into her eyes.  
  
Theresa looked up at him, and stood in front of him. Giving him a small smile, she whispered, "What do you think?" She stood on her tip toes, and brushed her lips against his lightly.  
  
"Is that a yes, Theresa?" Fox asked expectantly, still holding her left hand, the ring in the other. She nodded in assent, and his heart leapt for joy as he placed the ring on her finger.  
  
A few minutes ago, Theresa had thought that she couldn't be happier. But as Fox kissed her, she knew that the best was yet to come. 


	29. Spreading Joyful News

I do not own Passions.  
  
Authors Note- I just wanted to thank everyone who gave me a review. I love to get them; they make me want to write a new chapter as soon a possible! And to BabyBash, about Kate's rash decision making, all will be revealed in due time...  
  
Chapter 29- Spreading Joyful News  
  
Fox and Theresa had decided to go and tell Kate the good news first, but when they entered her office, she was gone and the lights were off. A quick glance into Trudie's office showed the absence of her secretary, whose office was also dark.  
  
"Hmmm." Fox wondered where his sister could be. "I guess she left early today."  
  
"Why don't we go get Little Ethan, and then go and see Mama?" Theresa suggested. "I can't wait to give this back to her." She held up the deed to her house. "She is going to be so happy, I can't wait."  
  
Fox grinned at his fiancée. "Whatever you want." He told her, leading her down the elevator. Theresa couldn't stop staring at the perfect, sparkling diamond on her left hand. She leaned against Fox, still entranced by the way that the light reflected tiny prisms of light.  
  
Fox was so happy that she had said yes to him. He wasn't sure she would, since they hadn't been together all that long, and they had both only gotten together because they were getting over other people. He had been a bit afraid that she wouldn't be ready, that she didn't feel the same way that he did.  
  
How could he have ever thought that he and Whitney were meant to be? How did he not see Theresa was the only woman in the world that he wanted? He was just thankful that he hadn't told anyone that he was in love with Theresa's best friend; it could have ruined his future, the future he was going to have with Theresa.  
  
Theresa sighed as Fox kissed her temple. She couldn't believe it, she and Fox were engaged. A year ago, she would have never given Fox a second thought, she had been so blinded by Ethan. Theresa now realized how wrong she had been about him. Ethan had betrayed her so many times; she would have done anything for him. She had been ready to die for him, and he had married another, and almost stolen her precious son away from her.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Fox murmured softly into her dark hair, bringing her out of her trance like state.  
  
"I was just thinking about how happy I am right now." She told him. "I feel like I could just explode with joy right now."  
  
"Funny, I was just thinking the same thinking the same thing." Fox told her, sweeping her into his arms. "I love you so much."  
  
Theresa smiled up at her fiancé. "I love you too." She told him, leaning up for a kiss. The elevator door opened, and they stepped out onto the third floor to the daycare center where Little Ethan was quietly building with legos.  
  
When he saw his mother, he ran up and gave her a hug. "Hi Mommy! I missed you." He turned to his future stepfather. "Uncle Fox, look at my tower! I made it really high."  
  
"That's great buddy." Fox said, kneeling down in front of the little boy, next to Theresa. He looked over at her, unsure about how to go about this. She gave him a nudge, and walked over to Marjorie, the woman who ran the daycare center. Great, he thought. What am I supposed to say to him? He didn't exactly know the protocol of how to ask his half brother for his former stepmother's hand in marriage.  
  
The little boy looked at him. "Are you going to marry my Mommy?" He asked.  
  
Fox was a bit shocked. "How did you figure that out?"  
  
"I saw the shiny ring on her finger. It looks like the one Uncle Ethan gave Aunt Gwen. She told me that a boy gives a girl a ring when they love them, and then they get married. So are you?" The little boy asked, looking on expectantly.  
  
"Would that be okay with you?" Fox asked, hoping he wouldn't be upset. Theresa's brothers would be mad enough, he needed an ally.  
  
Little Ethan smiled, and gave him a hug. "I like you Uncle Fox. You never made Mommy cry."  
  
By this time, Theresa had come back over to them. "So, what do you say, little man?"  
  
"I want to be in the wedding!"  
  
Fox and Theresa both laughed. "I think we can arrange that." They each took one of his hands, and the future family started the rounds to tell their good news to their friends and family.  
  
~*~*~  
  
They went to go and see Whitney and Chad first, and they were both so happy for the couple, as were Sheridan and Antonio, and Miguel and Kay. After bidding her little niece Maria farewell, they walked over to the three of them walked down the street to the Bennett B & B, and were surprised to see Grace in the kitchen.  
  
"Hello, Mrs. Bennett. What are you doing here?" Theresa asked, she had thought that she and Mr. Hastings were in Italy, on a photo shoot.  
  
"Hi Theresa. We came back a few weeks earlier than we planned. I felt my family needed me here. I can't run away from my troubles forever." She hugged her. "How are you?"  
  
Theresa held up her left hand in response. Grace smiled broadly, and hugged her again. "I am so happy for you honey."  
  
Pilar Lopez Fitzgerald came down the stairs, holding Little Ethan's hand. "My grandson says you have something to tell me, Theresa. What's wrong?" Pilar looked worried. "I don't think I can take any more bad news."  
  
Theresa couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry Mama; this is good news, very good. Fox and I are engaged!"  
  
Pilar threw her arms around her daughter, and then did the same with Fox. "This is wonderful, Mi hija."  
  
"That's not all, Mama." Theresa pulled the envelope out of her purse and handed it to her mother. Pilar looked at her strangely, unsure of what this was. She opened the flap, and pulled out the same documents that Fox had given to Theresa only hours before. Her eyes grew wide as she realized what Theresa had just given her/  
  
"H-how?" She asked, tears welling up in her eyes. "Fox, how did you do this?"  
  
"I didn't do anything. It was my sister, she gave it to me this morning, and told me to give it back to your family." Fox explained.  
  
"Bless her heart. She must be very kind, unlike so many in your family." Pilar said, clutching the deed to her chest. This woman had answered so many of her prayers. She had managed to undo so many of the things that Rebecca and Julian had done to her family. "Is there any way that I could speak to her? She has done so much, I would love to thank her."  
  
Fox nodded, and pulled his cell phone from his pocket, and dialed the familiar number. He waited for her to pick up, but after a few rings, her voice mail came on. Puzzled, he left a message for her to call him, an uneasy feeling growing inside of him. He had never known his sister to not answer her phone, especially when he was calling her. Where was she?  
  
~*~*~ Authors Note- What was with the stun guns that they used on Theresa in the 3/31/04 episode? That was completely unrealistic! I don't think that they would have done that to her, especially not four or five times! I wish that Fox hadn't pulled Theresa off of Rebecca though. If there ever was a case of justifiable homicide, that would be it! 


	30. Where is She?

I do not own Passions.  
  
Chapter 30- Where is She?  
  
As Grace was celebrating with the happy couple, her assumed husband, David Hastings, was next door, in a heated argument with the mother of the groom.  
  
"What the hell are you doing back here?" Ivy hissed, trying not to draw the attention of Jessica, Sam's daughter, who was sitting in the living room. "You were supposed to stay in Italy!"  
  
"All I know is that one day, I get back to my hotel, and there is a message from you, Ivy, saying that I was to come home immediately!" David said quietly. "Are you telling me that you didn't?"  
  
Ivy looked at him, her face contorted with anger and surprise. "I thought I made it clear that I didn't want you to come back! Why would I summon you to Harmony, when I am so close to getting everything that I wanted?"  
  
David glared at her. "I did what I thought that you wanted me to do! Do you realize how hard it was to get Grace to come back here? She feels so guilty for going in the first place, and I had to make her think that her children were practically falling apart!"  
  
"I don't care!" Ivy exclaimed, glancing at the kitchen door nervously. The last thing she needed was for someone to overhear this conversation. "I never sent you any message. Why would I do something like that?"  
  
"Well, someone wanted us back in Harmony! Someone who knows that we were plotting together!" David told her.  
  
"But who?"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ethan finished packing his suitcase. He looked around his room, making sure that he had gotten everything. There was nothing left. Nothing of his, anyway. All of the happy memories that he had in this house were gone, because the people who made this mansion his home no longer lived here. This place was empty, nothing but misery left in these halls, he thought, walking out the front door, never once turning back.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Fox once again tried to call his twin, and once again, he got her voice mail. Leaving yet another message, his uneasiness turned into worry. Where was Kate? Was she alright? Did Gwen-, no he wouldn't even consider that? Grandfather would never let anything happen to Kate.  
  
He jumped a little when he felt someone put a hand on his arm. Fox turned, and saw Theresa looking at him. "Is she still not answering?" She asked, putting an arm around his waist.  
  
Fox shook his head. "I don't know where she is, or what she's doing." He sighed. "I wish she would pick up, because I am starting to get worried. I hope nothing happened to her."  
  
Theresa kissed his cheek reassuringly. "Don't worry so much. Kate's a big girl; she can take care of herself."  
  
"I know, but-"  
  
Theresa shook her head. "No buts. I'm sure she's okay."  
  
Fox smiled slightly. He knew Theresa was right. Nothing was going to happen to his sister. Maybe if he repeated that enough, he would actually start to believe it.  
  
"Now come back inside." She said, tugging at his arm, leading him back into the common room of the B & B, where her brother Luis and his son, Martin, had joined the group.  
  
"So, you think that you're going to marry my baby sister, do you?" Luis asked in a stern voice, his face stone.  
  
Fox frowned. "Hey, I already asked for permission, okay? Your nephew was fine with it."  
  
Luis grinned. "I was joking! Geez, lighten up!" He held out his hand. "Congratulations. I hope you guys are happy."  
  
Fox shook his hand and smiled too. "I hope so too."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ethan didn't know where he was going to go from here. All he could think about was leaving the mansion, but now that he had, he wasn't sure where he was going. He drove around town, up and down streets, trying to figure out what his next move was.  
  
He pulled onto Ridge Street, and had a fleeting thought that he could go and stay with his father and mother, but then decided against it. There was too much going on in that house, so much tension and anger, the last thing anyone needed was another person with problems living there.  
  
He drove past the house, and saw the B & B next door. Maybe he should go in and see if he could get a room. Ethan quickly parked his car, and got out.  
  
When he walked in the door, he was surprised to see his half brother and Theresa there, but even more than that, he was surprised to see Grace, his stepmother. When had she come back from Spain, or was it Italy?  
  
It took a minute for the group to notice its newest member. Theresa and Fox looked at him coldly. It killed Ethan to see her in Fox' arms. How could he have been so blind? Maybe, just maybe, there was some way that he could make things right, the way that they used to be, when Theresa was his.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Theresa asked him, trying to stay civil, but not completely able to keep the iciness out of her voice.  
  
"I came here to see if there was a room available." Ethan explained. "I can't stay at the mansion anymore. Too much has happened, and I just need to get away from it. What about you, what are you doing here?"  
  
Fox smirked at him. "Theresa and I just announced our engagement." He told his brother. Fox knew that Prince Ethan was still in love with his fiancée, it was obvious.  
  
Ethan smiled, trying to ignore the pain that was shooting through his heart. "That's great. Congratulations." What was he going to do now? The woman that he loved was going to marry someone else. The irony of this situation was not lost on him. How did this happen? 


	31. Once Was Lost, But Is Now Found

I do not own Passions.

Author's Note- I am so, so, so, so, very, very, very, very sorry. I know that almose five months without an update is unforgivable, I really do. I was really busy with schoolwork, and then I lost the disk that I had this chapter written on when I came home from college. And then there was the fact that I haven't been watching Passions very much due to my outrage over the way that they have been handling my storylines. WHY would you want to break up Fox and Theresa? I have a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that they are going to use that baby to reunite Theresa and Ethan, and that would seriously suck.

And seriously, Pilar is the most hypocritical person on that show. She has stood by her own marriage vows for like twenty years, and she yelled at Theresa when she wanted Ethan to break up with Gwen for her, knowing that Gwen was pregnant, but she has absolutely no problem with the fact that two of her sons have children out of wedlock, and in all honesty, have barely taken responsibility for them. As far a she knows, Beth was pregnant with Luis' child, and she never cared that he was ignoring his parental responsibilities to chase after a MARRIED WOMAN, who was/is married to his brother. Now that I have gotten that little tirade out, I have decided to put all of my frustrations into writing this story, and the rest of the trilogy of stories that this one is now officially the first of. And also, please disregard everything that has happened on the show since like May, because trust me, I have.

That means that Antonio and Sheridan are still together. Sorry to all of you Shuis fans, but I feel that the way that they have handled that particular storyline is absolutely abysmal. I have been so frustrated with the way that they have lead what was once my favorite couple so far astray. I mean I hate this Luis, and Sheridan is not much better. Antonio is annoying, too. However, it has made for a very interesting plot for my sequel to this story. This hopefully will be out in a few weeks. We are almost done with the story folks! It'll be onward and upward from here, or should I say, backward and downward, he, he, he...

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I should probably explain the Alistair that I have in my head now, while I am at it. I kind of see him as someone who used to be warm, however, extremely formal. The ways that they used to have Sheridan talk about him, before they decided to turn him completely evil. That he really does care about his grandchildren, especially Kate. He keeps Sheridan at arms length because she reminds him of what he has lost. Don't get me wrong, he is a bastard, and a jerk, but I think that losing his wife, Katherine did that to him. That means that Katherine really did die of kidney failure, instead of running off with Martin Lopez Fitzgerald. I personally think that that was really stupid. Are we supposed to believe that the guy would leave his wife and five children to keep his mistress? I don't buy it. I hate that Theresa's father is such a schmuck. I like my version a lot better.

Without further ado, and the world's longest author's note, here is the next chapter! I hope that you like it, and please, don't forget to review!

Chapter 31- Once Was Lost, But Now Is Found

Kate slowly opened her eyes, squinting due to the rays of sun peeking in through the window. Groaning, she threw a pillow over her head, not ready to wake up and fully face the day.

She sighed into the white pillowcase, remembering last night. She was... she didn't know how to describe what she was feeling about last night. Kate had no idea how to put it into words.

_"I don't want to date you."_

_"What?" Hank asked her, startled by her revelation._

_"I said, I don't want to date you." Kate repeated, looking into his eyes._

_Hank pulled away from her, and started towards the door. "Where are you going?" Kate asked him._

_"Where do you think I'm going?" He snapped, looking into her eyes, the anger and pain evident in his expression. "I'm leaving, obviously, I'm not wanted here."_

_"What are you talking about?" She asked, confused by his behavior._

_"What do you mean, what am I talking about?" He shot back, taking his hand off the doorknob and running it through his hair. "You just told me that you don't want to be with me, why would I stay?"_

_"I never said that I didn't want to be with you!" Kate said, stepping toward him, trying to grab his hand, which he yanked out of her reach. This was not going how she had thought it would. "I said, that I didn't want to date you!"_

_"Please explain, how is that not the same thing?"_

Kate was snapped out of her reverie by a familiar, low beeping. Groaning, she reached for her cell phone, which was sitting on the night stand. "Hello?" She said groggily, stifling a yawn.

"Well, my dear, you have finally decided to answer your phone." Her grandfather's voice boomed into her ear. "What inspired such an unforeseen turn of events?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "How is it that you always know everything that goes on in my life? Do you have me bugged? Followed? Are their cameras following me around everywhere I go? What?"

"I'll never tell." Kate could hear the laughter in his voice. "Are you coming back today?"

"Yes Grandfather, I will be back in Harmony, in one piece, safe and sound, in just a few hours. I'll talk to you then."

"Goodbye, my dear."

Sighing, she fell back against her pillows. Was this real? What had she ever done to deserve this?

"Oh, my, God!" Theresa breathed as she and Fox pulled up to a beautiful stone house a few minutes away from the Crane Estate. "This is really it? This is our house?"

"I guess that means that you like it?" Fox asked, opening the door for her, a smile on his face. She looked so happy, he couldn't help but mirror her sentiments.

"Like it? Are you kidding me?" She asked, staring at him like he was insane. "I love it! This is the most beautiful house I have ever seen! And it's mine! All mine!"

"Wait just a minute. I thought it was mine too. It is in both of our names, right?"

Theresa rolled her eyes at him. "I guess that you are part of the deal, aren't you?" She sighed, trying not to laugh at him as he looked at her in mock surprise.

"You guess?"

She simply smiled, and pulled him up the walkway that lead to the front door. "Come on! I want to see the rest!"

"Wait just a minute there." Fox laughed before taking her into his arms, lifting Theresa from the ground.

"What are you doing? We aren't even married yet." She laughed, circling her arms around his neck.

"I don't want to take any chances, do you?" Fox grinned, stepping over the threshold, and setting her down on the beautiful wood floor of the foyer.

"Definitely not." Theresa said, making a face. She turned left, and went into what appeared to be a sitting room. The walls were stark white, with artfully crafted wooden crown molding, the same dark stain as the flooring that seemed to run through the entire first floor.

"I think that this has some possibilities." Theresa smiled, walking out to the foyer again, running her hand over the banister that led upstairs in her very own home. This was hers, all hers. Well, not all hers, but the extremely handsome man that came with it wasn't exactly a consolation prize.

"So, you think you could handle spending the next few years here, stuck with me?" Fox joked, slipping his arms around her.

"I think that could be arraigned." She smiled, turning to give him a kiss.

"That's good, since I paid a pretty penny for this place. It's a little big for just little old me, wouldn't you say?"

"Well, enjoy the little alone time you have left. After all, you will have a wife and a stepson invading this place very soon."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He smiled, kissing her forehead.

"Call her." Theresa sighed softly.

"Hmm?" Fox asked, confused.

"Call Kate." Theresa clarified. "You're still worried about her, I can see it in your eyes."

"I've never had her not answer one of my calls before. Even when she's mad at me, she at least picks up and lets me have it."

"So call her."

"I can do it later. This is our first time looking at our house."

"And in five minutes, I'll still be here. So call her."

"Alright."

"Now, I'm going to go and explore a little. Come and find me when you're done." She smiled, before disappearing up the stairs.

Fox smiled to himself, and removed his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed the familiar sequence of numbers, and was amazed when he actually heard the person on the other end pick up.

"Hey."

"Hey? Hey?! That's all I get?" Fox snapped. "Where the hell have you been? Why haven't you answered any of my calls?"

"What the hell, Nicky!" Kate shot back, the feeling of annoyance creeping into her voice as well. "I was busy. And who do you think you are, my keeper?"

"I'm your brother, who has been really worried about you."

Softening at the concern that was obvious in his tone, she started to feel a little guilty. "I'm sorry. But I'm fine, I promise."

"That's good. Where have you been?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Huh?"

"Never mind, you'll find out later." She said, quickly changing the subject. "So, how did it go with Theresa?"

"How do you think it went?"

"This is so great! So, are you taking her to see the house today?"

"Actually, I'm standing in the front hall as we speak."

"Does she like it?"

"Who wouldn't? It's amazing."

"Why thank you."

"I should be the one saying that, after all you've done."

"Yeah, you probably should."

"So, are you going to grace us with your presence today? I know that Theresa wants to thank you for getting her mother's house back from our lovely stepmonster."

"I'll be home in a few hours."

"See you then."

"Yep, and Fox?"

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations."

"Thanks."

Kate hung up the phone, smiling to herself. Everything was going according to plan. All the secrets that had haunted this town would be exposed in just a few days. She was finally going to get everything that she had ever wanted.

"Good morning."

She turned, startled at the sound of his voice. "Good morning." Kate smiled, setting her cell on the night table next to the bed. "Did I wake you?"

"Nah." Hank shook his head. "I think that the constant ringing did that."

"Sorry."

"No problem." He grinned, pulling her close to him. "After all, I can think of a few things I'd rather do this morning besides sleep."

"Oh, really?" Kate raised an eyebrow. "Would you care to enlighten me?"

"It'd me my pleasure." He smiled, pinning her underneath him. "So, what does everyone think?"

"Well, actually, no one knows. Except you and me. And Grandfather, but he knows all, and probably sees all too." Kate told him, moaning slightly as he kissed a trail from her ear to the hollow of her collarbone.

"You didn't tell Fox?" He asked, halting his ministrations.

"He'll find out soon enough. But for now, I want to keep you all to myself." She explained, a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"Why, Mrs. Bennett, I didn't know you cared." Hank said before resuming the task at hand.


	32. Facing the Music

Author's note- Another day, another chapter! Sorry about the wait, but it's hard to find the inspiration these days, with the way that they have taken this soap. At least it's not another five months!

Disclaimer- Contrary to popular belief, I don't own Passions, the town of Harmony, or any of the inhabitants. Alistair Crane does.

Chapter 32- Facing the Music

As the couple drove closer and closer to Harmony, Kate could feel herself getting more and more nervous. She had never done anything like this before. Kate was the kind of person who thought every angle through, went over every possible detail, and then made a decision. Eloping with Hank Bennett definitely couldn't fall into that category.

But at the same time, it was the easiest decision that she had ever made. Never in her life had she loved anyone like she loved Hank. Kate smiled softly to herself, feeling a wave of calm wash over her, soothing her nerves.

"What are you thinking about?" Kate glanced at her new husband quickly, before returning her eyes to the road.

"How happy I am that I married you." She answered, lacing her fingers with his.

"Now that's what I like to hear." Hank grinned, kissing her hand gently as they continued their drive back home to face the music.

**--&--**

"There's her car!" Theresa informed Fox as they waited for his sister to arrive. She couldn't wait to see her. In the short time that she had known Kate, they had become very close. Theresa couldn't wait to see her, and to tell her about everything that had happened in the last forty-eight hours.

They both raced from the sitting room to the front hall, just in time to see Hank carry Kate through the front door. _What the hell? _Fox thought as he watched the scene unfold.

"Hi Nicky!" Kate grinned, throwing her arms around her brother.

"Hey Meg. What's up?" Fox asked, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. Unfortunately, when it came to Kate, he was never nonchalant. Even though she was the older of the two, he had always felt that he needed to protect her.

"Not much."

"Not much?" A voice rang out from behind them. All eyes were on Alistair as he entered the hall, his powerful voice booming through the space. "You call sneaking off into the night to get married not much?"

"You got married?!?" Fox was shocked. This wasn't something that his sister would do. She wasn't the kind of person who would run away and get married to a man that she barely knew. She had known Hank Bennett for only a little over a month now, and she had actually been with him for less than that. What was she thinking?

"Thank you for telling everyone, Grandfather." Kate said, turning away from Fox, but she had already seen the disbelief and betrayal in his eyes.

"Well, my dear, I thought that you would have told your own brother by now." Alistair explained.

"Well, this isn't exactly something that I wanted to tell him over the phone." Kate said, the uneasy feeling that had settled in her stomach in the car coming back. This was not the way that this was supposed to go. Now that she thought about it, she really hadn't thought about what everyone else would think, or how they would react, especially Fox.

"You got married." Fox repeated, the reality sinking in.

"Yes."

"What were you..."

"I love him."

"And were will you..."

"Not sure."

"Have you been..."

"No!"

"Are you?"

"No!"

"Hey, is this a private conversation, or can anyone join?" Theresa cut in, taking them away from their conversation only comprehensible to each other.

"We'll be right back." Fox informed them, grabbing Kate's arm and leading her into the music room before shutting the heavy oak door behind them.

"Okay, so, you married him because you love him, you have no idea where you are going to live, you haven't been replaced by a pod person, and you aren't pregnant. Is that right?" Fox recapped their conversation, hoping that they had been on the same page.

"Well, the pod person is still up for debate, but other than that, yes, that sounded pretty accurate."

"Funny, Meg."

"Hey, I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

"Well, I don't think it worked." Fox ran a hand through his hair. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that hey, here's this guy that I love, who loves me back, why don't we get married?" Kate shot back, crossing her arms. "You are marrying Theresa because you love her, why can't I marry Hank for the same reason?"

"These situations are completely different!" Fox yelled, his temper flaring. "Theresa and I have been together for a long time. You have barely known Hank Bennett for a month, and you have hated him for half of it!"

"I have not!" Kate glared at him. "I was mad at him, but I never hated him!"

"That's funny, I seem to remember hearing you say exactly that not too long ago!" Fox' voice grew louder, as he shot a look at his twin. "Or do you not remember that night at the gazebo?"

"Don't you dare throw that night in my face!" Kate narrowed here eyes. "I can recall a whole lot of your not so shining moments too!"

"That has nothing to do with anything!"

"Yes, it does! It has everything to do with it!"

"It does not!"

"It does too!"

"It does not!"

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

Suddenly, they both did the only thing that they could do in this situation. Both Fox and Kate burst out laughing, the anger and tension that had filled the room suddenly vanished at the absurdity of their situation.

"I'm sorry." Kate apologized, hugging her brother.

"I'm sorry too." Fox tightened their embrace. "Are you happy?"

"Yeah." Kate said softly. "For the first time in a long time, I'm really happy."

"Then that's all that I care about."

"Good, because all I want for you is to be happy too."

"If he hurts you, I'll kick his ass. There will be no place in the world that he could hide from me." Fox informed her, a surprising firmness in his voice.

"Good to know."

"So, does anyone else know?"

"Nope."

"When are they going to find out?"

"At our wedding reception, of course. It will be the event of the season. One that no one is likely to ever forget." Kate smiled. Her plan was going to come full circle. Everyone was going to get what was coming to them, and very, very soon.


End file.
